Some Assembly Required (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Last updated
"Some Assembly Required"
Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 2
Directed by Bruce Seth Green
Written byTy King
Production code5V02
Original air dateSeptember 22, 1997 (1997-09-22)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"When She Was Bad"		Next →
"School Hard"
Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 2
List of episodes

"Some Assembly Required" is episode two of season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer . The episode aired on The WB on September 22, 1997. It was written by staff writer Ty King and directed by Bruce Seth Green. The narrative follows the Scooby Gang as they find body parts all over Sunnydale High School. They follow the trail of the clues to find something more gruesome. Meanwhile, Buffy confronts Angel about their relationship, Willow admits that she loves Xander to Buffy and Ms. Calendar and Giles' romance begins to blossom, as she asks him on a date. There's only one problem: their date is interrupted by schoolmate Eric and his sinister plans.

Contents

Plot

Buffy is waiting for a vampire to rise when she falls into an open grave. A body was apparently dragged out from it earlier.

The next day, Buffy and Xander catch Giles practicing to ask Jenny Calendar out on a date. (Buffy: "I guess we never realized how much you like that chair." [1] [2] )

Giles hears Buffy's findings at the cemetery and fears someone is raising an army of zombies. Buffy goes to find Willow, who is signing up for the science fair and talking to Chris, the reigning champ. As Buffy approaches, Chris's friend Eric takes pictures of girls passing by.

Willow finds that the girl missing from the open grave, Meredith Todd, died in a car accident. That night, Cordelia is walking to her car when she senses that someone is following her. She hides in a dumpster and when she thinks it is safe to get out, she encounters Angel. He starts to help her out of the garbage when she picks up a girl's hand, and they find other body parts inside the dumpster. The Scoobies return to the library to find a frightened Cordelia clinging to Angel. They decide to abandon Giles's zombie theory and search the lockers of science students. They find an article on Meredith in Chris's locker and a jigsaw of female body parts in Eric's locker.

In a secret lab, Chris and Eric are almost finished assembling a girl's body, except for the head. Eric lines up three candidates: Buffy, Willow and Cordelia. Chris's brother Daryl comes out from the shadows and chooses Cordelia. Daryl was a popular athlete who died in a hiking accident years ago, but he was revived by his brother and promised a stay-at-home companion.

The next day, Giles stumbles as he tries to ask Jenny out, but she ends up asking him to the football game instead. Meanwhile, Buffy and her friends discover that Chris and Eric must actually kill a girl to gain the head they need.

Buffy finds a lab in Chris's house and discovers their target is Cordelia. In the locker room, Cordelia is getting ready when Chris comes up behind her. Eric places a bag over her head, but is fought off by Buffy. After Cordelia leaves, Chris tells Buffy about Daryl. They head back to his house, only to find Daryl gone.

Daryl drags her away. He and Eric head to an abandoned building, where Eric plans to behead her. At the game, Chris tells Buffy where to find Eric.

Meanwhile, Willow and Xander crash Giles and Jenny’s date. Chris tells them what happened, while Buffy rushes to the old science lab. In the ensuing fight, a burner is knocked over and starts a fire. Xander arrives with the rest of the gang and gets Cordelia out. As Daryl is about to kill Buffy, Chris stops him. Daryl decides to die beside the unfinished girl's body while everyone else escapes.

Continuity

Arc significance

Vox notes that the episode is "nothing earth-shaking, but it does see Giles and Jenny on their first date, and it lays some groundwork for Xander and Cordelia's relationship later in the season." [3]

Reception

"Some Assembly Required" had an audience of 3.2 million households. [4]

Vox ranked it at #118 on their "Every Episode Ranked From Worst to Best" list (to mark the 20th anniversary of the show), writing that it's "a solid entry into the goofy/campy/silly stretch of early Buffy." [5]

The episode received mixed reviews. Billie Doux complained about "the lame Frankenstein monster plot": "I've never understood why mad scientists cut the bodies up and sew mismatched pieces together before flipping the switch. Wouldn't they have more luck with reanimating a complete dead body, like Chris did with his brother?" She also praises Charisma Carpenter for "her ability to scream convincingly on cue." [6] Roger Pocock agreed, saying, "The supernatural Hellmouth location is an effective sticking plaster for a lot of otherwise absurd story ideas, but instead the script plays fast and loose with what is even remotely scientifically possible in a way that feels at least a couple of decades behind its time." However, "The trio's twisted expression of the human mating impulse is offered up in stark contrast to some real new relationships, just getting started. The attraction between Buffy and Angel continues to be an effective slow-burn, while Giles agonising over asking Jenny on a date is the highlight of the episode." [7]

Mike Loschiavo called Eric and Chris "the California version of Burke and Hare" and adds, "it was inevitable though; we had to have an episode that was about Frankenstein at some point." [8] Theresa Basile lists it among her "10 Underrated Episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer," saying, "the villain of the week is not totally monstrous but rather sympathetic, even though we condemn his actions. Angel is a complete dork which is how I like him best." [9]

Related Research Articles

"Doppelgangland" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003). It was written and directed by the show's creator, Joss Whedon, and originally aired on The WB in the United States on February 23, 1999. The episode's title is derived from the term "Doppelgänger", a German word for a lookalike or double of a living person.

"The Wish" is the ninth episode of season three of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Marti Noxon, directed by David Greenwalt, and first broadcast on The WB on December 8, 1998.

"Dead Man's Party" is the second episode of the third season of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Marti Noxon, directed by James Whitmore, Jr., and first broadcast on The WB on October 6, 1998.

"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" is episode 16 of season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Marti Noxon and first broadcast on The WB on February 10, 1998.

"Innocence" is episode 14 of season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written and directed by Joss Whedon and first broadcast on The WB on January 20, 1998. It is part two of a two-part story. Part 1, "Surprise," was broadcast the day before.

"Gingerbread" is episode eleven of season three of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Thania St. John and Jane Espenson, directed by James Whitmore, Jr., and first broadcast on The WB on January 12, 1999. The whole town of Sunnydale vengefully investigates the death of two children, blind to the fairy tale aspects of the situation.

"Go Fish" is episode 20 of season two of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by David Fury and Elin Hampton, directed by David Semel, and first broadcast on The WB on May 5, 1998. Xander joins the Razorbacks swim team to find out why their best team members are being killed by horn-headed, ridge-skinned "gill monsters".

"Beauty and the Beasts" is the fourth episode of season three of the horror-drama television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Marti Noxon, directed by James Whitmore, Jr., and first broadcast on The WB on October 20, 1998.

"The Zeppo" is episode thirteen of season three of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Dan Vebber, directed by James Whitmore, Jr., and first broadcast on The WB on January 26, 1999. Feeling left out by the gang, Xander ends up accompanying a student named Jack O'Toole, who raises some friends from the dead and decides to blow up the high school. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang are trying to stop an apocalypse.

Unaired <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> pilot Episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The non-broadcast pilot episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was produced by 20th Century Fox Television in 1996 to pitch a series to networks. The twenty-five-and-a-half-minute production was written and directed by Buffy creator Joss Whedon, and was expanded upon and re-shot for the first episode of the series. It is notable for featuring different actors in the roles of Willow and Principal Flutie. Sunnydale High is known as Berryman High.

"Welcome to the Hellmouth" is the series premiere of the American supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It originally aired on The WB on March 10, 1997 in a two-hour premiere along with the following episode, "The Harvest". The episode was written by the series creator and executive producer Joss Whedon and directed by Charles Martin Smith. "Welcome to the Hellmouth" received a Nielsen rating of 3.4 upon its original airing and received largely positive reviews from critics.

"The Pack" is the sixth episode of season 1 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode aired on The WB on April 7, 1997. The episode was written by story editors Matt Kiene and Joe Reinkemeyer, and directed by Bruce Seth Green. In the episode, Buffy's friend Xander and four classmates are possessed by animal spirits, causing them to act increasingly like predators.

"The Harvest" is the second episode of the first season of the American supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by series creator executive producer Joss Whedon and directed by John T. Kretchmer. The episode originally aired on The WB on March 10, 1997, forming a two-hour premiere with the previous episode, "Welcome to the Hellmouth", and attracted 3.4 million viewers.

"When She Was Bad" is the first episode in the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode aired on The WB on September 15, 1997. The episode was written and directed by series creator and executive producer Joss Whedon. The narrative follows Buffy Summers returning from her summer vacation and behaving strangely following her encounter with The Master in the previous season's finale. The Anointed One attempts to revive the Master with a ritual involving his bones. However he requires something from the Slayer and sets a deadly trap in motion.

"Prophecy Girl" is the season finale of the first season of the drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the 12th episode of the series. It first aired on The WB on June 2, 1997. Series creator Joss Whedon wrote and directed the episode.

"Out of Mind, Out of Sight" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode aired on The WB on May 19, 1997. In the episode, an invisible force is attacking people at the local school and Cordelia may be in danger. The relationship between Buffy and Cordelia grows closer. The title of the episode is a play on the proverb.

"Nightmares" is the tenth episode of the first season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode's teleplay was written by David Greenwalt, with a story by Joss Whedon, and directed by Bruce Seth Green. The episode originally aired on The WB on May 12, 1997, attracting a Nielsen rating of 2.5. The episode is about the students at Sunnydale High beginning to experience aspects of their worst nightmares while awake, leading the Scooby Gang's investigation to a young boy with a secret. However, before they can get to the bottom of things, they must face their own nightmares, which are rapidly taking over reality.

"Bad Eggs" is the twelfth episode of the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Marti Noxon and originally aired on The WB on January 12, 1998. Buffy must contend with the Bezoar and a pair of vampire cowboys.

"Phases" is episode 15 of season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by series story editors Rob Des Hotel and Dean Batali, and first broadcast on The WB on January 27, 1998. In the episode, Oz learns that he is a werewolf, while Buffy endures the emotional trauma of dealing with Angelus.

"What's My Line" is a two-episode story arc in season two of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode was broadcast separately and aired on The WB. Part one aired on November 17, 1997 and part two aired on November 24, 1997.

References

  1. ↑ Murray, Noel (July 3, 2008). ""Buffy The Vampire Slayer: "When She Was Bad" / "Some Assembly Required" / "School Hard"". AV Club. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  2. ↑ "02x20 - Some Assembly Required". Buffy the Vampire Slayer Transcripts. Forever Dreaming. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  3. ↑ Grady, Constance (March 10, 2017). "Every episode of Buffy, ranked, in honor of its 20th anniversary". Vox. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Nielsen Ratings for Buffy's Second Season Archived 2006-08-23 at the Wayback Machine ."
  5. ↑ Grady, Constance (March 10, 2017). "In honor of Buffy's 20th anniversary, we ranked it from worst to best episode". Vox. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  6. ↑ Doux, Billie. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Some Assembly Required". Doux Reviews. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  7. ↑ Pocock, Roger (18 June 2022). "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Some Assembly Required". The View from the Junkyard. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  8. ↑ Loschiavo, Mike (18 June 2022). "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Some Assembly Required". The View from the Junkyard. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  9. ↑ Basile, Theresa (27 March 2012). "10 Underrated Episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"". Theresa Basile. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.