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General info

When did Buffy air?
From March, 1997 to May, 2003. It aired on the WB for its first 5 seasons, then on UPN for 2 seasons.

Which seasons are on DVD?
As of November, 2004, all 7 seasons are out on DVD.

Who are the main characters?
See here.

What was the first episode you ever saw of Buffy?
"The Dark Age," which I don't even really like now. A had a couple of friends who watched the show, but it was my dad who introduced me to it. (Incidentally, if you've never watched Buffy before, you probably shouldn't start with "The Dark Age." You need too much background stuff to understand it.)

What's your favorite episode?
That's a dangerous question to ask a loyal fan, because most of us have more than one. :) My favorite is probably season 3's "Doppelgangland." In line behind it are "The Initiative" and the classics "Once More, With Feeling," "Passion," "Becoming, Part 2," "Tabula Rasa," "Something Blue," "Hush," "The Gift," and "The Body."

What's your least favorite episode?
"Wild at Heart." In line behind it are "Amends," "Smashed," "Wrecked," "Older and Far Away," "Villains," "All the Way," "Beauty and the Beasts," and any number of episodes from season 7.

What are your favorite Buffy moments?
There's no way I can name all of them, but they include Willow waving to Oz in "Doppelgangland," Oz smashing the urn in "Choices," Buffy receiving the Class Protector award in "The Prom," Buffy and Spike's battle for the bazooka in "Him," and the entire fourth act of "Gingerbread."

Favorite regular characters?
Willow, because I always identified with her when she was in high school; Xander, because even when people thought he was annoying I thought he was funny; Giles, because he always knows what to say; Cordelia, who sometimes gets the best lines; and Oz, because...come on, he's Oz.

Favorite recurring characters?
Spike, back when he was sarcastic; Tara, because she got some good stuff to do (though I hated her at first); Harmony, because she always cracks me up; Jenny, to a certain extent (especially in "I Robot, You Jane"); D'Hoffryn, because he also cracks me up; Amanda, because she was just really sweet; and the Mayor, because he rocked. Riley, Andrew, and Devon sometimes fit into this category, depending on my mood and the episode.

Favorite one-time character?
Balthazar from "Bad Girls" ("UNNACEPTABLE!").

Least favorite characters?
Kennedy, first and foremost. I have yet to meet one person who likes Kennedy. I disliked Dawn mostly in season 5, but she started to grow on me (like a Chia Pet) in season 6, and by season 7 I didn't have as much of a problem with her. I've never really enjoyed Anya, but sometimes she makes me laugh.

Buffy Trivia FAQ

Where can I play? Here.

How did Buffy Trivia get started?
Jonathan created it. Oh, wait, that’s the "Superstar" answer. The origins of Buffy Trivia remain a mystery. Perhaps some day someone will unearth the truth behind this strange and fascinating game. Maybe it will be you!

Is there a limit on the number of points I can earn or the number of connections I can post?
Unless the quiz’s host indicates that he/she would like guessers to limit their number of points per post, no. As for the number of connections you can post, the point is to post as many as you can in order to win, so don’t worry about how many you have.

What happens in the event of a tiebreaker?
Tiebreakers are pretty rare, but they have been known to happen. In some cases, one of the people tied for first place will give the win to the other person. If both people are still determined to win, the quiz’s host may post a tiebreaker question that’s only open to the tied players.

Which quotes can I use?
If it’s in a transcript, you can use it. (You can find transcripts here and here.)

How do I identify the speakee in a song lyric or voiceover?
If the song lyric comes from a song performed at the Bronze, you can guess "to the audience" or "to Bronzers." Voiceovers and lyrics in background songs or songs sung in "Once More, With Feeling" are generally addressed "to the audience."

What if there’s an error in a transcript and no one realizes it until the quiz is already underway?
If someone remembers it correctly, we usually defer to that person. If no one does, we might go to the DVDs.

What if I can’t remember a character’s name?
Then you will be mocked and humiliated until you run and hide and assemble an army of Übervamps to destroy the rest of us. No, not really. If you can’t remember the name of a regular or fairly popular character, that’s kind of sad, but you can post some sort of defining characteristic such as, "Buffy’s annoying little sister" or "Xander’s ex-demon ex-fiancée." In some cases you won’t be expected to know a character’s name anyway; he or she might not even have a name. In that case you can just say "girl" or "unnamed Potential" or "Mighty Mighty Alpha Delt." If you know the name of the actor who played the character, you can use that. People have been known to guess "the guy played by Brian Thompson" or "that kid from Home Improvement."

How do I distinguish between a regular character and a recurring character?
A regular character is one who is featured in the episode’s opening credits. Buffy, Willow, and Xander are always regular characters. Giles is a regular character until S6, when he becomes a recurring character. Cordelia is a regular character until S4, when she becomes nonexistent because this is Buffy trivia, not Angel trivia. Though he appears in many S1 episodes (and even has one named after him), Angel is not a regular character until S2 and becomes a recurring character in S4. Spike is a recurring character until "The Initiative," in S4. Riley is a recurring character until "Doomed" and becomes a recurring character again after "Into the Woods" (though he’s only in one episode after that, so that makes it easier to remember). Oz is a recurring character until S3 and becomes a recurring character after "Wild at Heart." Dawn and Anya are regular characters from S5-S7; before that Anya is recurring and Dawn is still a gleam in a monk's eye. Tara is a strange case - she is a recurring character from "Hush" (S4) through "Entropy" (S6) and spends one episode ("Seeing Red") as a regular character. Everyone else not mentioned is a recurring character.

Who, specifically, are the Scoobies?
It depends on the season and your own judgment. Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles are always Scoobies. In S2, Cordelia is generally considered a Scooby. In S3 Oz joins the group. The rest of the additions may depend on your own opinions. Some people consider Anya, Riley, and Tara Scoobies during seasons 4-6, but others don’t. Most people don’t consider Dawn a Scooby from the beginning, but you can decide whether she was officially a Scooby in S6 or in S7. If you’re not sure and you want to make sure you get your points, you can identify each character specifically.

What are the punishments for missing quotes?
There are no formal punishments for missing quotes, but some people have taken to punishing themselves in the same form of torture/injury/penalty observed in the episode the quote was from. For example, if you miss a quote from "Doppelgangland," you might find a vampire to break your fingers. If you miss a quote from "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered," you might turn yourself into a rat. If you miss a quote from "Smashed," you might have sex with Spike.

When a host hints that we may have blocked an episode from our memories, what episodes should I be thinking of?
This varies from player to player, but most people would say that these episodes are "Smashed," "Wrecked," "Doublemeat Palace," and most of season 7.

What is an SOP?
A state of play. This lets players know which quotes have not yet been identified.

What is an "oh, yeah!"?
It’s the recognition after the fact that a quote should have been easily identifiable.

What does "yes but no" mean?
It means that the quote you’re trying to identify is spoken on more than one occasion and that, though you’ve identified one of the occasions, it’s not the one the host is looking for.

What does "no, but…" mean?
Again, this varies from player to player. In some instances it means "you’ve reversed the speaker and speakee." In some it means "either the speaker or the speakee is actually the opposite." And in some it means "you’re thinking the right way."

Who is K******?
Kennedy. We decided that it’s best not to speak her name lest we invoke bad memories.

Who is Chanterlily?
Chanterlily is a character from "Lie to Me" and "Anne" who went by two different names - Chantarelle and Lily. At the end of "Anne" she changed her name to, well, Anne, but it’s too annoying to write Chanterlilyanne. You might also see her referred to as Julia, because she was played by Julia Lee.

Who is Principal McHottie?
Robin Wood. This practice is not very widely accepted. But no one is bitter about that. Really.

Key-face?
Dawn.

Annie Vega?
In "Angel," Cordelia warns Xander to stop dancing with Annie Vega before her boyfriend beats him up. She somehow became one of some players’ favorite never-seen characters.

What’s the difference between Willow, Evil Willow, and Dark Willow?
Willow is...Willow. Evil Willow (AKA Vamp Willow) is Willow’s Wishverse counterpart. She’s seen in "The Wish" and "Doppelgangland." Dark Willow is what Willow turns into in "Villains," "Two to Go," and "Grave," You don’t need to distinguish between Willow and Dark Willow, but you do need to distinguish between Willow and Evil Willow because they’re entirely different. They also have some scenes together and if you guess "Willow to Willow," you’re a dirty, rotten cheater.

Does "post-[person]" mean post-that person’s death or post-that person’s first appearance?
It means post-that person’s first appearance. Post-Tara, for example, means post-"Hush." If the host wants to indicated that a quote was spoke after a character’s death, he or she will write "post-[person]’s death."

What does "we’re ‘Smashed’ away from theme" mean?
It means that two more quotes must be completed before the host will open up theme guessing. This started when a host posted, "We’re a very bad episode from theme guessing" (meaning "Two to Go") and some smart aleck replied, "We’re ‘Smashed’ away from theme?"

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