Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Same Time, Same Place

Same Time, Same Place
Season 7, Episode 3
Airdate	October 8, 2002
Production Number	7ABB03
Written by	Jane Espenson
Directed by	James A. Contner
← 7x02 Beneath You	7x04 → Help
Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Season Seven

Same Time, Same Place is the third episode of the seventh season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the one-hundred and twenty-fifth episode overall. Willow returns to Sunnydale, but she's invisible to Dawn, Buffy and Xander. Meanwhile, a demon is skinning people alive.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers), James Marsters (Spike)

and Alyson Hannigan (Willow)

Co-Starring: Camden Toy (Gnarl), Anthony S. Johnson (Father), Matt Koruba (Teen Boy), Nicholette Dixon (Sister), Marshè Daniel (Brother)

Plot Overview

Willow returns to Sunnydale, but can’t find Buffy, Xander, and Dawn. Meanwhile, Buffy, Xander, and Dawn await Willow’s return, but she never shows up. However, they fear the worst when a dead body is found flayed.

Notes

Monster of the Week

• Gnarl: Gnarl is a green parasitic demon with long, sharp fingernails. His actual "species" of demon isn't revealed. The demon's fingernails excrete a poison that paralyzes his victim. While the victim is paralyzed, he tears the victim's skin off in strips and eats them. Afterwards, he drinks the pool of blood. Gnarl is also apparently immune to magic. The demon's weak spot is apparently the eyes. The demon's speech and look seems to be greatly influenced by Gollum from the Lord of the Rings books, particularly the way he speaks in third-person. This was confirmed by Jane Espenson in a post on a forum in which she said "Collect the money on the bet. There was some Gollum in the history of Gnarl."

Body Count

#	Whom	By Whom	How	Where
1	Graffiti Kid	Gnarl	Flayed	Construction Site
2	Gnarl	Buffy	Eyes Poked Out	Snarl's Lair

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Sunnydale High: Xander mentions that the blueprints for the school are useless because the walls seem to be moving.

Characters

• Willow: Willow returns to Sunnydale after mostly recovering in Giles' training.

Referbacks

• 6x20 - Villains: Many of the references in this episode come from the final three episodes of the previous season in which Willow became evil. This also notably includes a soundbite flashback to Tara's death when Willow touches the window in Buffy's room when she first returns to Sunnydale.

• 5x04 - No Place Like Home: Giles hired Anya onto the Magic Box full-time in a previous season. She eventually became the owner of the shop.

• 4x14 - Goodbye, Iowa: Willow used the same light spell to locate Tara in a previous episode.

• 4x04 - Fear, Itself: Anya's fear of rabbits is briefly referenced when Willow refrains from saying "quick like a bunny."

Trivia

The Show

• Buffyverse: Dawn browses the "Demons, Demons, Demons" website, which first appeared in an episode of Angel entitled "The Ring".

Behind the Scenes

• Reprisal: Camden Toy also appeared in "Hush" as one of the Gentlemen. He was apparently the one who seemed to be the leader.

• Fun with Censorship: Several shots were removed from the British broadcast of this episode, particularly during the scenes in which Gnarl is maiming Willow.

• Crazy Credits: This is the first episode in the series in which there are no guest stars. The opening credits go straight to the producers after the intro.

Allusions and References

• Hide the Button: Spike refers to a children's game that is played in two different ways. In one version, kids sit in a circle and one person has to figure out which one is hiding the button. In another, it's more like hide and seek. The line is also used in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Spike: Button, button, who's got the button?

Memorable Moments

• Anya posing the paralyzed Dawn in funny ways.

Goofs

• When Dawn is paralysed and propped up on the couch, parts of her moves position between shots.

Quotes

• Xander: (about Willow) You think she'll get the sign?

Buffy: Get the sign? I don't think she's gonna see the sign.

Dawn: Why is it so pale?

Xander: I used yellow crayon. It was a thing from when I talked to Willow on the bluff. I hope she gets it.

Dawn: Oh, tell us again what you said.

Xander: Well, I was talking from my heart and I knew Evil Willow wasn't really ready to... You were kidding.

• Xander: I saved the world with talking from my mouth. My mouth saved the world!

• Dawn: Well, if she's doing that... ducking Giles, then, she's evil, right?

Xander: Well, I've avoided Giles tons of times. Just meant I was lazy; not evil.

Buffy: I hope you're right because defeating Lazy Willow - probably less hard.

• Buffy: I checked with Giles again, too. Hasn't heard from her.

Xander: Is he throwing a tasteful British wiggins?

Buffy: Oh, with extra wig.

• Anya: What are you doing here? I thought you were with Giles studying how to not kill people.

Willow: I just got back.

Anya: Just got back, as in you're all better, or just got back to bring about a fiery apocalypse of death.

• Willow: (about the Magic Box) I feel really responsible.

Anya: You feel really responsible? You are really responsible!

• Anya: Here's something you should know about vengeance demons. We don't groove with the sorry. We prefer, "Oh god! Please stop hitting me with my own rib bones!"

Willow: Go on. Say whatever you want. Rib bones and so forth. I - I deserve it.

Anya: And you won't mind? (Willow shakes her head) Well, then that's no fun!

Willow: Sorry.

• Anya: Everyone's all about the high school. Buffy's got some kind of job there helping junior deviants, Spike's insane in the basement, Xander's there doing construction on the new gym-

Willow: Wait, Spike's what in the whatment?

Anya: Insane. Base.

• (looking at a dead body on Xander's construction site)

Buffy: No skin.

Xander: Tough to look at.

Buffy: And yet my eyes refuse to look away. Stupid eyes.

• Spike: Someone isn't here. Button, button, who's got the button? My money's on the witch. Red's a bad girl.

Buffy: He's talking about Willow.

Xander: And that means something because he's chock full of sanity.

• Anya: (as Willow barges in to her apartment) Come in! Enjoy my personal space.

• Willow: I found a dead body near the high school.

Anya: Yes, that can happen.

Willow: Something horrible killed a boy, took his skin right off.

Anya & Willow: (to each other at the same time) Was it you? No!

• Willow: When did you get all insightful?

Anya: I'm surprisingly sensitive.

Willow: So, will you help me?

Anya: (sighs) Is it difficult or time-consuming?

• Willow: Anya, you're a vengeance demon. Just teleport.

Anya: Well, as it turns out, teleporting isn't a right; it's a privilege. I withdrew a vengeance spell last week and this is my punishment. I can only teleport for official business. I have to file a flight plan and everything.

• Anya: Well, causing pain sounds really cool, I know, but... it turns out it's... really upsetting. Didn't used to be. But now it is.

Willow: Is it like you're scared of losing that feeling again, and that having it be okay to hurt people, and then you're not in charge of the power anymore because it's in charge of you?

Anya: Wow. That was... really over-dramatically stated, but, yeah, that's it.

• Dawn: Okay, so I looked up demons that skin their victims and demons that flay their victims 'cause, you know, same thing. There's a ton of prospects. Anything else gone? Uh, eyeballs, toenails, or viscera? That's guts.

Buffy: She knows about viscera. Makes you proud.

• Xander: Should've put a leash on him.

Buffy: Yes, let's tie ourselves to the crazy vampire.

• Buffy: It's a rock cliff.

Xander: Well, give him a break, Buffy. Maybe it's a vicious skin-eating rock cliff.

Spike: There's a cave in it. Look. (to Buffy and Dawn) I'm insane. What's his excuse?

• Dawn: I'm really sorry.

Buffy: Oh, it's okay.

Xander: You couldn't help it. It had paralysing fingernails.

Buffy: Just like you said it would, so, good on you.

• Xander: We can't just leave her here like this. What if she vomits?

Dawn: Ew. I won't vomit.

Buffy: Do you think she'll vomit?

Dawn: Stop talking about vomit!

Buffy: I'll call Anya. She can watch her.

Xander: Right, she'll love being called for vomit watch.

Dawn: Stop... talking... about... vomit!

• Anya: Oh, Buffy killed the demon! It was gross.

• Willow: You know Giles says everything's part of the earth. This bed. The air. Us.

Buffy: Explains why my fingernails get dirty even when I don't do anything.

Willow: Plus you stuck your thumbs in a demon.

Buffy: True.