Band Candy

"Band Candy" is the sixth episode of season three of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Jane Espenson, directed by Michael Lange, and first broadcast on November 10, 1998.

Not to be confused with The Candy Band.
"Band Candy"
Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 6
Directed byMichael Lange
Written byJane Espenson
Production code3ABB06
Original air dateNovember 10, 1998
Guest appearance(s)

Plot

Principal Snyder hands out boxes of candy to all the students, which they must sell to pay for new marching band uniforms. Buffy sells half of her chocolate bars to her mom, and the other half to Giles. She then visits Angel, who is practicing T'ai chi. When she arrives home, Buffy finds her mother and Giles eating the band candy.

The next day, Giles fails to show up for study hall, where Xander and Willow are playing footsie. Worried, Buffy goes to Giles' home and finds her mom on the couch. Joyce offhandedly gives her the car keys to drive home, to Buffy's astonishment. Giles, now acting like he did as a teen, invites Joyce out for some fun.

Buffy and Willow find The Bronze packed with adults who are acting like teenagers, including Principal Snyder. They return to Giles' place to find out what is going on.

At the warehouse, the vampire Mr. Trick checks up on Ethan Rayne and the production of the chocolate bars. Trick suddenly accuses one of the workers of eating the candy, and kills him as an example to the others.

Buffy eventually puts two and two together and realizes that the candy is making everyone act like immature teenagers. She sends Willow and Oz to the library and drives to the warehouse. Upon arrival, Buffy finds her mother and Giles kissing in the middle of the street. Inside the warehouse, Buffy catches Ethan; her threat of violence persuades him to reveal that Trick needs to dull Sunnydale adults in order to collect a tribute for a demon named Lurconis. Meanwhile, four vampires enter the hospital to remove four newborn babies. Willow phones Buffy from the library and tells her that Lurconis eats babies. Giles remembers that the demon may be found in the sewers.

Down in the sewers, the Mayor and Mr. Trick wait impatiently while the four vampires chant in a ceremony to summon Lurconis. Buffy, Giles and Joyce crash the party, and the Mayor quickly flees unnoticed. Buffy fights the vampires while Giles and Joyce take the babies to safety. The huge snake-like demon appears and swallows one of the vampires whole. Giles attacks Trick, but is thrown into the path of Lurconis. Buffy pulls down a gas pipe, igniting a fire that kills the demon.

Back at his office, the Mayor asks why Trick fled, allowing Buffy to kill Lurconis. Trick replies that he thought he did the Mayor a favor by having the Slayer kill the demon, leaving one less demon to whom the Mayor would owe tribute. The Mayor warns Trick against doing him any more such favors.

The next day, the adults have returned to their senses. Buffy and Giles meet Joyce, and Buffy exclaims that they are lucky she stopped them before they did more than they did. Joyce and Giles look very embarrassed, but Buffy fails to notice.

Writing

This is the first episode where script writer Jane Espenson is credited. Later on, she would love to put Giles and Joyce in front of embarrassing situations in the episodes she'd write, as a recollection of their sexual intercourse happening in "Band Candy".[1]

Reception

Noel Murray of The A.V. Club writes that the episode "shows an alternate version of Sunnydale that's grounded in the town's own dark reality. Or as Oz says, 'Sobering mirror to look into, huh?'"[2]

List-maker and reviewer Jacob Hall wrote, "Season three's 'Band Candy' is probably one of the goofiest episodes of the entire series, but it's also one of the funniest, showcasing the writing staff's tremendous wit and the range of the show's supporting cast. The episode deals with a dark enchantment forcing the adults of Sunnydale to revert to their teenage mentalities, transforming the likes of Giles, Mrs. Summers and Principal Snyder into hilarious alternate versions of themselves. As awesome as it is to see Anthony Stewart Head pull off a 'bad boy' thing, the episode more than earns its place on its list for Armin Shimerman's sad, pathetic and totally endearing take on his normally cruel character."[3]

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References
  1. DVD Commentary, Season 5 Episode 15 "I Was Made to Love You".
  2. Murray, Noel (June 5, 2009). "Buffy The Vampire Slayer: "Beauty And The Beasts" / "Homecoming" / "Band Candy"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  3. Hall, Jacob (January 31, 2014). "The 10 Best Episodes of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'". Screen Crush. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
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