Buffy Halloween

Image from Twitter.

     Happy Halloween! In honor of the night Buffy the Vampire Slayer one referred to as "Undead for the undead," I'm bringing my favorite Buffy quotable memes from the 3 Halloween episodes. The first ever spookfest was Season 2's "Halloween." Our heroes turned into their costumes and ghost Willow was the only one who could save them. Smartly preparing for season 4's "Dead Man's Party," a simple frat party turns into a murder house, and Giles wears a sombrero. The main lesson here: never paint your floor with the spooky symbol from an old book because it will probably release a demon. Finally in season 6's "All the Way",  Anya and Xander announce their engagement, Dawn has a date with a vampire, and Buddy attempts to protect her sister.


SEASON 2: After Buffy turns from a helpless maiden back to herself:

Image from Pintrest. 

Season 2 (left): Willow testing her friends to see who hasn't turned into their costume.
Season 2 (right): Buffy confronts shopkeeper Ethan Rayne about his spellcasting costumes.

Image from Pintrest

Image from Pintrest

Season 4: Our first inclination that Anya has something against bunnies. It must be bunnies!

Image from Pintrest

Season 4: Buffy muses about her relationship status, when compared to the life of a pumpkin, and feeding her feelings with candy.

Gif from Popsugar

Gif from Whitman's Blog

Season 4: Willow and Oz presenting their couples' costume.

Image from Pintrest

Season 4: Anya goes to get Giles's help and he answers the door in a crazy costume.

Image from Pintrest
This is more of a visual joke

Season 6: Anya explaining her Charlie's Angels Costume. This is followed by the dance of capitalist superiority (dancing with money).

Gif from "Once More with Extreme Prejudice" Blog
Anya on her  "Charlie's Angels" costume

Season 6: Xander and Anya announce their engagement. 

There don't seem to be many memes for this episodes, but Xander tells Buffy he's going to marry that girl. Buffy thinks he means her 15-year old sister and then realizes she is about to be a bridesmaid. This episode is also the one right before the Once More, with Feeling musical episode. 

Image from Panels on Pages

A Note About Celebrating Halloween Part 5: OTH and Halloween

I promise this is my final discussion of Halloween. Due to a html/formatting problem, here is my remaining comments about OTH Halloween.

OTH Halloween honorable honorable mentions:

Season 7's 80s episode "Don't You Forget About Me"
Season 6's Nanny Carrie episode "You've Dug Your Own Grave, Now Lie in It"
Season 4's psycho stalker attack episode "I Love You But You've Chosen Darkness"
and
Season 4's prom stalker episode "Prom Night at Hater High"

A Note About Celebrating Halloween Part 4: A Final Note and More Teen Dramas

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
I have rescinded my blowing off Buffy season 6's Halloween episode "All the Way." This is a great episode! After re-watching it this past weekend, I have re-awakened my love for this episode. Its not all about Dawn. It's about Xander and Anya getting engaged, Buffy dealing with the lonely afterlife (by avoiding responsibility and leaving all the work to Giles), and the deterioration of Tara and Willow's relationship. This episode also sets up the wonderful (and at the time highly original) musical episode "Once More, With Feeling." -Remember this was about 8 years before GLEE.

CLASSIC QUOTES:
Anya: "This is the dance of capitalistic superiority."
Dawn: "Shiver me timbers."
Buffy: "Did anyone actually come here to make out? Aww that's sweet. You run!"

ONE TREE HILL
I always cite Season 3's "An Attempt to Tip the Scales" as the ultimate OTH Halloween episode. Haley is slutty Sandy, Nate is Batman, Luke is Tommy Lee, Peyton an Angel and Brooke- the Devil. Drama plays out at the Tric Halloween Bash. Mouth and Peyton also do the hustle in front of a supportive crowd. This (season 8's) Halloween episode also gets a shout out. Again, we find ourselves at Tric, where Haley is a pregnant cheerleader Brooke is an Orange, Nate is Don Draper.. it seems like we all got a little less creative. But again, drama plays out at Tric, and yes- it was drama-ful.
For more about OTH Halloween, read here.

GOSSIP GIRL
In a show where every episode has a themed or dress-up ball, it is tough to enjoy Halloween. Season 3's "How to Succeed in Bassness" had a Halloween theme. Season 1's "A Handmaiden's Tale" also had a Halloween-time masquerade ball.

THE O.C.
Generally when I think "holiday" and The O.C., I think of the annual Chrismukkah episode. But Halloween in the land of white beaches and palm trees is never so simple. Season 1's "The Best Chrismukkah Ever" has summer donning a Wonder Women costume. Not exactly Halloween, but pretty close.

VERONICA MARS
In season 3, Veronica goes to a Halloween party/casino night at her college. The episode, "President Evil," has Veronica solving a robbery at the casino. Runner up is a season (1- I think), episode where Veronica and Deputy Leo go to a 80's dance.

A Note About The Glee Picture Show

On Halloween, (how fitting!) I finally got a chance to watch the much-anticipated Halloween/Rocky Horror themed episode of "GLEE." It's too bad my cable was out during the actual episode airing because of a little event I've taken to calling foxvisiongate (Fox fought with my cable company and pulled programming for a few weeks). Bitterness aside, I really enjoyed the episode. With my long love/hate relationship with GLEE, I have to say this was one of the best episodes of GLEE I've seen in weeks. In a season plagued by unnecessary plots, secondary characters, and pretty boring musical numbers, this one was really a breakthrough.

This episode was great for several reasons. For one thing, the episode was an ensemble piece. It was not all about Rachel or Kurt or Mr. Shue. Everyone really got a chance to shine and to sing (even Ms. Pilsbury, and the love of my life - Mr. John Stamos). The success of the episode was based on each character's performances. For once, Sam didn't act too annoying.

Another thing that was crucial to this episode's success was to balance the musical aspect of the show and the storyline. All too often, shows get caught up in the "school play" aspect, like season 1 of 90210 and the painful episodes-long production of Spring Awakening. There were some nice story lines - the new kid (Sam) trying to use his physique to impress Quinn, Mercedes taking over the lead role (for once), and Mr. Shue trying to impress Emma (and her great rendition of "Touch Me." Plus, we saw the return of the cable news segment "Sue's Corner," where Sue says horribly offensive things in the name of defending small town Ohio. Most importantly, for once, I wasn't repulsed by a Rachel-Finn duet. I enjoyed hearing them sing "Dammit, Janet."

My favorite part was the cast-wide rendition of "Time Warp." It was not only a well-sung and danced number, but it made the viewer enjoy the music. In a season that has been lacking strong cast-driven musical numbers like season 1's "Don't Stop Believing," this episode brought me back to that singular moment when I first fell in love with GLEE.

The one nagging thing about the episode was the final message. I was okay with them cancelling the musical. Then, I was okay with the idea of the kids doing the show "for themselves" and not letting anyone push them around. I was NOT okay with their interpretation of the message of Rocky Horror. This musical is not all about breaking boundaries, like the GLEE folks claimed. The main theme of the musical is about giving yourself over to pleasure, and the multitude of corruption associated with pleasure. Its much more of a moral, or rather, anti-moral message. Rocky Horror is not perpetuating the "stick it to the man" and "believe in yourself" messages that GLEE first perpetuated in the "Funk" episode from last season, and continued to honor in this episode.

A Note About Linus Van Pelt

Poor Linus. That kid stood out in the pumpkin patch all night waiting for the grat pumpkin and what did he get? Sally's sympathies, a few stray pieces of candy from Lucy, and a few "good griefs" from pal Charlie Brown.

Rock on Linus, for your continued speeches about hope and perseverance. I salute you this Halloween!

A Note About the Guts of Meredith Grey

Photo note: I created this list for my friend to use at Halloween a few years ago when she dressed up as Meredith Grey. Many of these things still apply today. In homage to our favorite miserable doctor, check out her to-do list above.

A Note About Celebrating Halloween Part 3: Buddy Sitcoms

FRIENDS
Season 8's "The One With the Halloween Party."
Arm wrestling, Ross dressed as "poop" and Phoebe falling in love with her sister's fiancee. The only Halloween episode, unless you count Rahel dressing up as a cheerleader to impress "Joshua" and Monica's work at the 50's diner.
Will and Grace
Season 1's "Boo Humbug."
Karen and Jack are left with kids and meet drag queens on Halloween. Honorable mention for season 5's "It's the Gay Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."

How I Met your Mother
Season 1's "The Slutty Pumpkin"

Ted invokes Linus as he waits for the pumpkin he loves before and Barney coins the phrase "Space Suit Up!" Season 5's "Revenge of the Slap" had a quick Halloween scene where Barney is dressed as Borat.

See more sitcom Halloween memories here.

ADDENDUM: Last week's Halloween episode of COMMUNITY. A zombie infestation takes over the Halloween dance and everyone ends up dosed by the FBI so they don't remember.
I also loved the new Halloween-themed How I Met Your Mother. Something about the morning after "Halloween Parade" drove me to laughter tears over and over again.
And COUGARTOWN's "You Don't Know How it Feels" was part sappy sitcom and part Halloween greatness. It gets my stamp of approval for guest star Ken Jenkins (lovingly known as Dr. Kelso from SCRUBS) and my costume stamp of approval for Lori and Ellie dressing up as each other (and Travis dressing up as a badly-tanned Andy at the end). Grayson also dressed up as Prince, the artist formerly known as...

A Note About Celebrating Halloween Part 2: Teen Dramas

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Out of the 3 Halloween episodes (and Buffy vs. Dracula, which I consider in the same league), it was a tough choice to choose the best. An oldie but a goodie, I went with season 2's "Halloween ", where Giles's old buddy Ethan Rayne comes into town and casts a spell, turning most of the characters into their Halloween costumes. Princess Buffy and Army Commander Xander offer plenty of humor as they are completely clueless to the whole "demons are real" idea. Best line is from Willow's, "You couldn't have dressed up as Xena?" Honorable mention to season 4's "Fear, Itself" where a spooky frat party is haunted by a 6-inch tall demon that feeds on fear. "All the Way" in season 6 was also nice but so Dawn-centric.

VAMPIRE DIARIES
Season 1's Halloween episode (yes there was also a season 2 one but I haven't begun season 2 yet) was a great and solid start for the diaries. "Haunted" unleashed newborn vamp Vicki on the Mystic Falls Halloween party, where Nurse Elena ended up covered in blood and regret.

ANGEL
In a show all about a vampire, the first and only Halloween episode came in season 5's "Life of the Party." Empathic Lorne is sleep deprived and everything he says begins coming true at the Wolfram and Heart office Halloween party.

CHARMED
The most clear Halloween themed episode of Charmed came in season 3's "All Halliwell's Eve." The sisters (Elvira, Butterfly Princess and Glinda) get transported back to the 1700's where they have to use old school magic (apples and brooms) to protect the birth of their great grandmother and the first witch in their family's line. Leo dresses in his old WWII army uniform as well! Honorable mentions to two unofficial Halloween episodes, season 5's "Sympathy for the Demon" where fear demon Barbaras attacks the sisters fears, and season 8's ep where Billie fights crime dressed as a slutty superhero.

FELICITY
Season 1's "Spooked" picked up with Felicity getting close to Ben because they were robbed together. Then Ben gets distant -I know what a shocker. COSTUME highlights: Julie as Catwoman, Elena comes dressed as a SUBWAY employee, Felicity is the Bride of Frankenstein, and Ben shows up as a duchey stockbroker. Honorable mention to the "Twilight Zone" themed "Help for the Lovelorn" in season 2 and the episode where Meghan wants Sean to go to a fetish club. Best line: I think I just saw Ben making out with the pink power ranger." -and not referencing Amy Jo Johnson's Julie- the actual pink power ranger.

DAWSON'S CREEK
The one, and only, Halloween episode of DC came in season 6. So be default, "Living Dead Girl" wins. Dawson throws a Halloween party and thinks he sees the ghost of a dead girl.

A Note About Celebrating Halloween Part 1: 90's Family Sitcoms

In honor of Halloween, I'm doing my most (and probably only) Halloween-themed event this weekend. Here are my five top sitcom Halloween episodes of 90's sitcoms. Check back for the five best Halloween drama episodes.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch
(Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 - but not 7)

A show about a teenage with has tons of Halloween-themed episodes, which makes the selection tough. (While the WB-year episodes in the later season weren't always filled with the best of storylines, and Season 7 was again basically lost season, there is some great material). Season 2's "A River of Candy Corn Runs Through It" is the best, where Sabrina's first mortal Halloween party turns into a disaster, complete with possessed furniture and a river of candy corn. "Good Will Haunting" from season 3 is also a great episode, where another haunting happens at Sabrina's house, during a Halloween double-date (by a creepy possessed doll).

Boy Meets World
(1,2, 5, 7-only in theme)

Point of contention here because Season 5's "And Then There Was Shawn" is not actually a Halloween episode, it was done in February of season 5 on top of the the Halloween-themed "Witches of Pennbrook." but has always been discussed among my friends as the best Halloween sitcom episode. This is my choice, with its "Scream" "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "South Park References." During detention (and during the legendary Cory/Topanga breakup), Shaw, Cory, Topanga, Angela, and a guy named Kenny get sentenced to a horror of detention. Must see line: "We'll always remember he (Kenny) was that tall," where a pencil drilled a hole through Kenny's skull and into the wall and "It's against the Geneva Detention Convention." Jennifer Love Hewitt guest stars as Jennifer Love Fefferman (aka Feffy, who falls in love with Eric before death by library books. "Witches" gets an honorable mention for Jack dating a creepy witch girl (played by Candace Cameron (Bure) of Full House, and a guest appearance from Sabrina.

Home Improvement
(Halloween themed episodes in seasons 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)

The Taylor clan was long known for elaborate holiday themed episodes including Tim's annual Christmas roof decorating and Halloween scare-offs. Season 3's "Crazy for You" is my favorite, where Jill takes a (successful) try at out-pranking her husband, the self-titled "King of Pranks." Tim believes he is being stalked at his Halloween party by an obsessed fan, Rose, who is actually Al dressed up like a woman. Jill recruits Al, Heidi, Wilson and others to pull off the elaborate prank. The Taylor boys also dress up as the Three Stooges, all as Moe. Great Jill quotes include "Death was a popular costume this year. Black is very slimming," and "The only costume that was left was this or Bob Vila." Honorable mention goes to season 7's "Night to Dismember," where Mark and a friend make a creepy film for school and worry his parents, playing the youngest of three sons on a killing spree.

Step By Step
(Halloween episodes season 4 and 7).

Season 4's "Something Wild" is one part Halloween and one part geek trying to be cool. Mark meets a punk girl (JJ Jenkins- the hottest girl in the 8th grade) that tries to turn him bad. He ends up leaving his family's party to throw eggs at a house (with a Mohawk). Cody also grows the world's largest pumpkin. Great Al line, "Great. Mr. Wizard is in heat." There's also a great scene where carol comments on her daughters' Halloween costumes, Karen the mermaid, and Dana the lady in a suit (she was dressed as Hillary Clinton). "Dream Lover" in season 7 (the lost season after it moved to CBS) was pretty lame. No honorable mention, just an acknowledgement.

Family Matters
(Halloween episodes seasons 2, 4, 6, 8, 9)

Now the season 8 "Steevil" episode gets a honorable mention for showing Laura cut up in the kitchen cabinets, but I'm picking the season 6 episode "Dark and Stormy Night" where Steve tells Little Ritchie a scary 1800's story about the Von Winslow Family. Check out Nana Winslow as Raggedy Anne and Eddie and Waldo as Siamese twins. Plus, Steve says "Didst I do that?"