Danny Strong Movies

Author Norman Mailer shows up at the Dragonfly Inn accompanied by an interviewer (played by Mailer's son Stephen Mailer), throwing Sookie (Melissa McCarthy) into a tizzy when he seems to reject her cooking. But Sookie would have been hard to deal with under any circumstances; she's just found out she's pregnant again. In other developments, Rory (Alexis Bledel) prepares to write what she hopes will be an inspirational article about a super-secret Yale society for the college newspaper; and Rory's dad Christopher (David Sutcliffe) once again enters the life of Lorelai (Lauren Graham) -- and once again bearing news of great importance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the wake of his father's death, Lorelai (Lauren Graham) is anxious to make Luke (Scott Patterson) feel better. Meanwhile, Miss Patty (Liz Torres) marks her 40th anniversary in show business in her own inimitable fashion. And back at Yale, Paris' (Liza Weil) foray into speed-dating pairs her up with "Daily News" editor Doyle (Danny Strong), while Rory (Alexis Bledel) is faced with double duty, escorting a new student around the campus and getting even for a practical joke perpetrated by Logan (Matt Czuchry). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

At the urging of editor Doyle (Danny Strong) at the Yale Daily News, Rory (Alexis Bledel) writes a scathingly honest review of a ballet performance -- and begins receiving threatening letters as a result. Back in Stars Hollow, Lorelei (Lauren Graham) does not take well to the news that Luke (Scott Patterson) is still dating his ex-wife Nicole (Tricia O'Kelley); Jason (Christopher Eigeman) causes family friction when he wangles an invite to Richard and Emily's Friday Night Dinner; and Lane (Keiko Agena) is upset by a gift which her mother (Emily Kuroda) wants to send to her long-distance boyfriend, Dave. Finally, Michel (Yanic Truesdale) reports for work at the Dragonfly, only to be banned from meeting with new mom Sookie (Melissa McCarthy) because of a very slight head cold. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

As geeky hostage Andrew (Tom Lenk) annoys Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her army of acolytes with the cheesy documentary he's trying to film about the Slayer's adventures, Buffy learns of serious disturbances at Sunnydale High School. She explains to Principal Wood (D.B. Woodside) that the new school, like the old one, sits atop the Hellmouth, whose demonic energy sometimes seeps out, causing pent-up teenage feelings to take horrifying shape. The Scoobies hypothesize that such enchantments are on the upswing thanks to the blood sacrifices that were recently used to unleash the Turok-Han through the mystical Seal of Danzalthar hidden beneath the school. Because Andrew helped open the seal by murdering best friend Jonathan (Danny Strong) at The First's behest, Buffy decides he'll be the one to help close it. As Wood and Spike (James Marsters) stave off the ensorcelled hooligans who are rioting in the halls, the Slayer and her would-be biographer make their way into the bowels of the building. There, Buffy forces Andrew to come face-to-face with the horrible acts he committed -- and the made-up stories he's been telling himself to assuage his guilt. Terrified that the Slayer plans to close the seal with his blood, a tearful Andrew admits his sins. In doing so, he finds the real way to shut the portal down, thereby returning Sunnydale High to about as normal a state as it ever achieves. Originally broadcast February 25, 2003, on UPN, "Storyteller" marked episode 138 of the cult-favorite series. In addition to providing humorous flashbacks and references to numerous earlier episodes, this installment also offers a sort of unified field theory about the creature-of-the-week episodes that characterized Buffy's first season. Flashbacks and Andrew's stories once again allow Adam Busch and Danny Strong to appear as the other now-deceased members of season six's nerdy supervillain triumvirate. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

While on a routine patrol, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) encounters Holden Webster (Jonathan M. Woodward), a high-school classmate she barely knew, just as he's rising from the grave as a newborn vamp. The slayer and her foe spend more time talking than fighting; Holden's affable demeanor weakens Buffy's emotional defenses, leading her to articulate her deepest insecurities. The vamp's most interesting insights -- that Buffy has a thing for guys who hurt her, and, when it comes to her closest friends, suffers from both a super-power superiority complex and a moral inferiority complex -- aren't nearly as shocking as the revelation that he was sired by Spike (James Marsters). Back at the Summers' house, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) pigs out and plays with Buffy's weapons until a series of Poltergeist-like scare tactics reveals the assault of an unseen demon. Dawn fights back against the shadowy threat and eventually receives a chilling message from the shade of her own long-dead mother (Kristine Sutherland). Meanwhile, at the library, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) meets Cassie (Azura Skye), Dawn's recently deceased psychic classmate (see "Help"). The melancholy spirit claims to bear messages from Tara, Willow's late lesbian lover, but Willow sniffs something amiss when Cassie counsels her to kill herself before she loses control of her powers again. Suddenly, Cassie morphs into demon form, spits out a few nasty threats, and disappears, revealing herself to be the same shape-shifting demon who has been tormenting poor Spike all season. As for Buffy's bad-boy vampire ex, he does, indeed, appear to be feasting on human blood again. Even more blood is spilled by returning super-nerd Andrew (Tom Lenk), who ritually murders his compatriot Jonathan (Danny Strong) at the urging of a spirit who claims to be slain super-villain Warren (Adam Busch). Originally broadcast November 12, 2002, on the UPN network, "Conversations With Dead People" marked episode 129 of the cult-favorite series. After the events of this episodes, fans finally figured out that the season's shape-shifting villain is none other than the First Evil, who briefly battled Buffy four years earlier (see "Amends"). ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) arrives at the Magic Box and mystically shackles the grief-mad Willow (Alyson Hannigan), then hears from Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) about everything that's gone down since his departure (see "Tabula Rasa"). Their joyful reunion is interrupted, though, when Willow mystically compels Anya (Emma Caulfield) to free her. Luckily, Giles has come to end the Wiccan's rampage, and he's armed with the magicks of an entire coven. They battle epically, but soon Willow drains Giles of his powers and leaves him near-dead. Elsewhere, Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) are on the run with surviving super-nerds Jonathan (Danny Strong) and Andrew (Tom Lenk). Willow dispatches the magical equivalent of a guided missile to kill the villains and their reluctant protectors. Buffy manages to save her friends, but in the confusion, Jonathan and Andrew escape; Buffy and Dawn end up in a cavern full of zombies. As for Willow, the influx of Giles' power puts her magically in touch with the pain and suffering of the entire planet; she resolves to burn the Earth to a cinder. Anya warns Xander of the impending apocalypse and he rushes to the rocky bluff where Willow is raising the malign temple of an ancient doomsday cult. Despite Willow's vicious attacks, Xander showers her with love and acceptance, which eventually drains her of black magic and restores her humanity. Meanwhile, after battling side by side with her sister, Buffy finally realizes that she's glad to be alive again. And in a dark cave somewhere in Africa, Spike (James Marsters) completes his quest to be returned to his former self. But his demon taskmaster doesn't remove the chip in Spike's head -- he returns the vampire's soul. Originally broadcast May 21, 2002, on UPN, "Grave" marked episode 122 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) turns to Tara (Amber Benson) for information about why Spike's anti-violence chip no longer registers her as human. Meanwhile, her sexual relationship with Spike (James Marsters) grows deeper and more twisted as the ardent vampire tries to show Buffy her dark side. Elsewhere, Warren (Adam Busch) seeks perverse sexual thrills of his own. The villainous nerd plans to use his latest invention, a cerebral dampener, to turn some lucky lady into his bedroom slave. The first candidate is Warren's ex-girlfriend, Katrina (Amelinda Embry), who's still angry about his dalliance with a sex-bot (see "I Was Made to Love You"). Eliminating any such grudges with the flick of a switch, Warren prepares to sleep with Katrina and then give Andrew (Tom Lenk) and Jonathan (Danny Strong) a turn. The dampener wears off, however, and Katrina accuses Warren of attempted rape. He hits her with a beer bottle, accidentally killing her. Andrew and Jonathan want to go to the police, but Warren insists on framing Buffy for his crime. With the help of a time-shifting demon, the villains stage a hallucinatory battle in which Buffy becomes convinced that she accidentally killed an innocent girl. Distraught, she prepares to turn herself in -- much to the dismay of Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), who becomes hysterical, and Spike, who gets the tar beat out of him trying to convince the Slayer not to throw her life away. At the last moment, though, Buffy learns the name of her supposed victim and realizes that Warren must be behind the entire episode. Nevertheless, she later breaks down in tears upon learning from Tara that she's still human after all; if she's still human, Buffy asks her astonished friend, then why is she allowing herself to do such perverted things with Spike? Originally broadcast February 5, 2002, on UPN, "Dead Things" marked episode 113 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

When Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) nearly stumbles on the lair of the super-nerd troika, Warren (Adam Busch) and his cronies sic a demon on her. The fiend manages to stab the Slayer with its talon, sending her in and out of an alternate reality where her life as a demon-hunter is nothing but the delusions of an insane, institutionalized young woman. As she wanders through her day, jumping back and forth between realities, Buffy finds her alternate life terrifying but alluring. She's overjoyed to see her mother (Kristine Sutherland) alive and her parents still married, but the non-Slayer Buffy is still just a hopeless basket case in a straitjacket. Elsewhere, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) seeks to reignite her relationship with Tara (Amber Benson) and learns that Xander (Nicholas Brendon) still loves Anya (Emma Caulfield), despite having left her at the alter. Later, while Xander and Spike (James Marsters) capture the creature who has infected Buffy, Willow listens to the Slayer's musings about the depression that has plagued her since her resurrection. Ultimately, when Willow brews up a cure for the demon's spell, Buffy dumps it out, preferring to retreat into the comfort of padded walls in a world where Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) doesn't expect her to be a parent and Spike isn't threatening to reveal their illicit tryst. Only Tara's surprise intervention keeps the comatose Slayer from "exorcising" her friends as if they were figments of a troubled imagination. Bidding farewell to her parents, Buffy jumps back into her Slayer self. Back in the alternate reality of Buffy's vision, her folks cry over the shell of their brain-dead daughter. Originally broadcast March 12, 2002, on UPN, "Normal Again" marked episode 117 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) denies being attracted to Spike (James Marsters), both to herself and to the bad-boy vamp. But when he catches her holding on to a memento from their tryst, she grows furious and chops off a great deal of her hair. The Slayer soon gets an even more radical makeover when she's hit by an invisibility ray -- nerdy villains Warren (Adam Busch), Andrew (Tom Lenk), and Jonathan (Danny Strong) are at it again with the super-weapons. This time, the Slayer's happy for the change. Merrily pulling pranks on people around town -- including the social service worker who's been critiquing her parenting skills -- Buffy soon makes her way to Spike's crypt for some X-rated fun. Meanwhile, Xander (Nicholas Brendon) offends Willow (Alyson Hannigan) by accusing her of turning Buffy invisible. Miffed, the recovering magic addict sets about finding the real culprit -- without supernatural help. Thanks to Willow's exhaustive detective work, Anya (Emma Caulfield) discovers that anything hit by the ray gun soon turns to invisible mush. Looking to warn Buffy of the impending danger, Xander interrupts Spike and the Slayer's lovemaking. With Buffy invisible, though, Spike is able to pretend he's merely exercising. As Buffy continues her escapade, unaware that she's about to turn to pudding, the super-nerd troika kidnaps Willow. During the battle that follows, Buffy regains her visibility and finally comes face to face with the dorks who've been persecuting her. The geeks escape, but her near-jellification at their hands finally convinces Buffy to be grateful that she's back from the dead. Originally broadcast January 8, 2002, on UPN, "Gone" marked episode 111 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Despite the return of her beloved former watcher, domestic and financial issues compound the dark depression in which the Slayer has wallowed since her return from the dead. A flooded basement sends Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) scrounging for a loan when she learns that her mother's insurance money has long since been exhausted. Just as she's being turned down by the loan officer, Buffy witnesses a demon attacking the bank. During the confusion, the fiend's unseen accomplice makes off with a wad of cash. Angry about losing out on her loan and letting the demon escape, the exhausted Slayer heads to the training room to let off some steam. Soon Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) appears, fresh off the plane from England and full of reassuring wisdom. Worried that Buffy doesn't seem quite herself, he chastises an unrepentant Willow (Alyson Hannigan) for her foolhardy trafficking in dark magic. Elsewhere, three other former Sunnydale High misfits make use of the black arts: nerdy inventor Warren (Adam Busch, see "I Was Made to Love You"); class dork Jonathan (Danny Strong, see "Superstar"); and Andrew (Tom Lenk), the science fiction-obsessed younger brother of Tucker, the villain of "The Prom." These three hapless self-styled super-villains plan to use their ill-gotten gains from their earlier bank robbery to take over the entire town. The demon who assisted in their larceny tries to take out the Slayer, but Buffy vanquishes it -- without learning a thing about the creature's three very human accomplices. Originally broadcast October 16, 2001, on the UPN network, "Flooded" marked episode 104 of the cult-favorite series. Andrew, Jonathan, and Warren would appear throughout the rest of season six as both comic relief and the year's unlikely "big bad" villains. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Warren (Adam Busch), Jonathan (Danny Strong), and Andrew (Tom Lenk) proceed with their quest to make their names as super-villains by using a ray gun to freeze a museum guard and steal a valuable artifact. As Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her friends investigate the crime, the Slayer continues to fend off the affections of Spike (James Marsters). When the quarrel turns physical, however, the love-sick vampire learns that he's now capable of hitting the Slayer without experiencing excruciating pain. To his dismay, he realizes that the anti-violence chip in his skull still works fine on everyone else; he can hit only Buffy -- apparently because she came back from the dead less than human. Elsewhere, Tara (Amber Benson) assures Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) that she'll always be there for her even though Tara's relationship with Willow (Alyson Hannigan) is over. As for Willow, she begins her new post-Tara life by finally figuring out how to turn Wiccan pal Amy (Elizabeth Anne Allen) from a rat (see "Gingerbread") back into a human. Amy and Willow embark on a night on the town, turning the Bronze into their own private magical playground. Meanwhile, Spike confronts Buffy about her seeming inhumanity. They fight ferociously, but somehow the battle turns into a tryst of super-heroic proportions. After two years of yearning, Spike finally makes love with Buffy -- savagely, as an abandoned building crumbles around them. Originally broadcast November 20, 2001, on UPN, "Smashed" marked episode 109 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Jonathan (Danny Strong) is the man. Although only 18 years old and formerly a nebbish high school student that Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) stopped from committing suicide (see "Earshot"), he is now stronger than the slayer, inventor of the Internet, and star of the hit film The Matrix. Not only that, but the Initiative has employed him as the chief tactical consultant in their mission to recover Adam (George Hertzberg). Meanwhile, Karen (Erica Luttrell), a Jonathan fanatic, is attacked by a ferocious beast bearing a symbol on its forhead. Soon after, Jonathan takes the stage at the Bronze to perform a swinging vocal number and virtuoso trumpet solo -- this after giving Riley (Marc Blucas) advice on how to get back together with Buffy (see "Who Are You?"). Suddenly, Karen, bloodied and scared, bursts into the Bronze claiming she was attacked on Jonathan's estate. As she draws the symbol the beast had on its forehead, Buffy notices Jonathan give a look of recognition which he quickly dismisses. This gets Buffy's slayer sense tingling and she challenges the ever so Machiavellian Jonathan to hunt down the beast with her. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is looking forward to trading in her stakes for a corsage as she and her friends prepare for their senior prom. Angel (David Boreanaz) is less enthused about the big dance, especially since Joyce (Kristine Sutherland) wants him to end his relationship with Buffy. Meanwhile, a Hell Hound mauls a shopper at the dress shop where Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) is working. Reviewing the store video camera recording, Buffy clues in on the Hell Hound's possible owner. Despite her friends' insistance, Buffy won't let anyone else miss the prom to help her track down the Hell Hound. This is the first episode where Anya (Emma Caulfield) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) actually date. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi