Writer:

The writer, with a link to his or her filmography at IMDb, if one exists.

Director:

The director, with a link to his or her filmography at IMDb, if one exists.

Regulars:

The regulars (those whose names appear in the opening credits, while the theme song plays), with a link to their pages in the Cast section of the site (The Players).

Guest Stars:

The guest stars (generally those whose names appear in the credits after the first commercial break), with a link to their pages in the Cast section of the site (The Players), if one exists; or to their filmographies at IMDb, if one exists.

Cast:

The rest of the cast (generally those whose names appear in the end credits), with a link to their filmographies at IMDb, if one exists.

A very brief summary of the episode.

The origins of the episode's creature feature, be it the writers' brains or ancient legend, and a look at how the episode's treatment of the monster compares with outside sources.

A look at the monsters (or humans) who died, including the Who, Where, How, and By Whom. Although there may be exceptions as we deem necessary, we generally will only count on-camera deaths (for example, if Buffy says that she killed a vampire last night, but the scene wasn't actually in the episode, it won't be in the Body Count). This feature began with "Gingerbread," though as time permits (or people offer to do them for us), it is being added to older episodes bit by bit.

Buffy is a dialogue-driven show, and there are lots of good lines. But some of these gems are even funnier or more moving or more insightful than most, and they will be recognized here.

More quotes from this episode...(This will be a link to the quotes page.)

Similarly, every once in a great while the writers come up with some real stinkers, and they will be given their due here as well.

Buffy is so laden with references that it sometimes goes over our heads. We'll try our darndest to catch them all, and the ones that we do will be explained here. Do note that this isn't a dictionary — we do tend to extend it well beyond simple pop culture references, but we can't define every single word or concept. ;-)

For the most part, this consists of references to previous (or future) episodes, especially if we feel that viewers might be confused if they haven't seen the episode in question. This feature began with "The Zeppo," though as time permits, it may be added to older episodes bit by bit. Many episodes before this do have continuity notes included in the "Notes" section.

Accidents do happen, even on the best show on television, and we would be remiss in our duties if we failed to mention them here. Often others will submit goofs that we didn't spot ourselves, and (if legit) these will be included with the proper credit. Submitted goofs do not get added until we've had a chance to check them out ourselves.

Any tidbits of information or observation that don't fit neatly into any of the other categories.

A listing of the songs and bands heard in each episode. When possible, we'll also include a sound clip.

Some links to merchandise that may be of interest. Some may be BtVS items, such as a novelized version of the episode, action figured based on the episode, etc. Others may be things referenced in the episode or otherwise related, such as movies or books. This feature began with "Intervention," though as time permits, it will be added to older episodes.

Opinions, thoughts, and reflections on the episode from the reviewers.

A chart showing all the dates an episode has aired nationally, its Nielsen rating showing what percentage of the nation's households watched that episode, and the episode's rank among all prime time network shows for the week. To interpret the Nielsen ratings, use the following list:

• For the 1996-97 television season (Season One), each rating point equals 970,000 households. So a rating of 3.4 means that approximately (3.4 x 970,000) = 3,298,000 households were watching Buffy.
  
  
• For the 1997-98 television season (Season Two), each rating point equals 980,000 households. So a rating of 3.4 means that approximately (3.4 x 980,000) = 3,332,000 households were watching Buffy.
  
  
• For the 1998-99 television season (Season Three), each rating point equals 994,000 households. So a rating of 3.4 means that approximately (3.4 x 994,000) = 3,379,600 households were watching Buffy.
  
  
• For the 1999-2000 television season (Season Four), each ratings point represents 1,008,000 households. So a rating of 3.4 means that approximately (3.4 x 1,008,000) = 3,427,200 households were watching Buffy.
  
  
• For the 2000-01 television season (Season Five), each ratings point represents 1,022,000 households. So a rating of 3.4 means that approximately (3.4 x 1,022,000) = 3,474,800 households were watching Buffy.
  
  
• For the 2001-02 television season (Season Six), each ratings point represents 1,055,000 households. So a rating of 3.4 means that approximately (3.4 x 1,055,000) = 3,587,000 households were watching Buffy.

Each ratings point is intended to represent one percent of the nation's television households; this is why the number of households represented by a ratings point increases periodically — to keep up with population growth.