Some Assembly Required
Some Assembly Required
Season 2, Episode 2 (Episode 14 of entire series)
This episode marks the second time I realize that I don't have to like every show. The Frankenstein-y theme is used to demonstrate the loneliness theme. The good thing about this episode is Jenny Calendar's taking care of business by asking Giles out. There are a few good lines in this episode, but overall....This episode also marks the first time that Cordelia opens up the possibility of having interest in Xander.
Next day, Xander and Buffy walk into the library and overhear Giles practicing his pick-up lines. They figure out his intended is Ms. Calendar and offer advice, and then Buffy tells Giles about the missing body/grave thing. Some good lines in this exchange.
Cut to Willow, who's signing up for the Science Fair. She's chatting with Chris, who always places first to her second. Weirdo Eric is snapping photos of the chicks. And Cordy comes by, complaining about signing up for the fair. Her topic? The tomato: Fruit or Vegetable. Buffy comes by to get Willow and the two head for the library.
Willow goes online to find out more about the missing body of the girl from the graveyard, and Cordy comes in to ask Willow for help on her project. She says she would have asked Chris, but that would have brought back too many painful memories of his brother Daryl. Willow finds an article about three girls who died in a car accident. Shades of Never Kill a Boy on the First Date, eh? Anyhoo, the gang, minus Cordy, makes plans to go on a field trip to the graveyard, and Willow promises to bring "those little powdered donuts."
Graveyard madness...Buffy and Willow bond by gabbing about guys, while Xander and Giles bond over shoveling a grave. Or would that be unshoveling, since they're trying to dig it up? Buffy tells Willow about Angel's non-admitted jealousy of Xander. And Willow tells Buffy more about Daryl. Soon the casket is ready to be opened, and the gang looks inside of it.
Meanwhile, Cordy's finished with cheerleading practice and freaks out when she hears someone in the parking lot. She hides in a dumpster; when she thinks the coast is clear, she gets ready to get out of the trash. That's always a good thing to do..but she's startled by Angel, who tells her he's looking for Buffy. Cordy tells Angel that Buffy is in the graveyard, and Angel remarks that Buffy had told him she'd be at home. More chatter, and Cordy's skirt is caught in the dumpster...she goes to free it and ends up gripping a hand. A disembodied hand. A dead hand. Ugh.
The gang enters the library to find Cordy and Angel waiting for them. Angel says that the parts they found in the dumpster didn't add up to three girls, so he assumes that some parts were kept. Some good lines, and Cordy forces Angel to escort her home. Willow gets the names of the top science students who would have a great knowledge of physiology, and they embark on a locker search. The two lucky winners? Chris and Eric! Buffy deduces that they're trying to make a girl by using parts from dead ones.
Basically, it turns out that Chris reanimated Daryl, but Daryl's too horrific looking to be seen in the light of day. He's a lonely monster-type. Chris and Daryl are making a girl who'll keep Daryl company, your basic Bride of Frankenstein type of thing. Okay, so maybe I could deal with that organ harvesting in that sense (not really, but whatever) -- but the guys show Daryl the pics of the girls and he chooses Cordy's head to adorn the dead-girl body.
Buffy pays a visit to Chris's house and meets his sort of catatonic-mom. She relives her son Daryl's glory days by watching his football games on video, and she doesn't seem to know or care much about Chris. Buffy leaves, but not before she sees Cordy's picture on top of the monster-girl plans.
Back at school, the football game's starting, and Cordy has to run out for cheering. She's attacked by Eric, and Buffy saves her. Buffy tells her about the Doctor Demento plans, and Cordy runs out to the field. Buffy spies Chris and then she realizes why the guys are making a girl. She tells Chris to find Willow and Xander and meet her at the Old Science Shed.
Meanwhile, Giles and Jenny are having their first date at the football game, and Willow and Xander show up. None of them knows that Daryl is beneath the bleachers, looking for Cordy. He kidnaps her and takes her to the shed.
Big fight stuff and a fire happen in the shed, and Daryl's got the upper hand at one point, about to crush Buffy with a desk, when his brother Chris calls out to him. Daryl sees that his bride's body is on fire, he freaks and throws himself on top of it, and Xander saves Cordy. Giles and the rest of the gang help out, too.
Afterwards, Angel comes by because he saw the flames. He and Buffy have a make-up type of chat, and Giles and Jenny are having a chat about date number 2. Only Willow and Xander are unmatched, and Xander points this out, wondering why they're left out of the mating game. Did I mention guys are dumb or oblivious? I did? Anyhoo, Cordy comes up to thank Xander and offers to repay him, and he snubs her. The look on her face is hysterical. That's pretty much it for this outing.
1. Buffy did some basic fighting against Daryl.
2. The fire in the science shed helped out; Daryl walked into it.
1. A tomato is a fruit. Willow tells Cordy this when Cordy asks for help on her science project -- The Tomato, Fruit or Vegetable?
2. Angel's age -- he tells Buffy he's 241 years old. Wow.
1. Sunnydale High School
2. The Cemetery
3. The Epps's house
4. The Old Science Shed
5. The School's Football Stadium
1. Buffy
2. Willow
3. Xander
4. Giles
5. Cordelia
6. Angel
7. Jenny Calendar
8. Chris
9. Eric
10. Daryl
11. Mrs. Epps
12. Random cheerleader
