'Pol position: Giles and Willow attempt to find out information on Caleb by mesmerising a police officer and then posing as agents of Interpol. According to their website at http://www.interpol.int, Interpol exists to help create a safer world by providing a unique range of essential services for the law enforcement community to optimise the international effort to combat crime.
It aims to be the world's pre-eminent police organisation in support of all organisations, authorities and services whose mission is preventing, detecting, and suppressing crime.
We tried searching for info on Caleb on the site, by the way, and came up with zilch.
Dare eye?: After the loss of his eye last week, Xander is still waiting for his other senses to improve drastically. As he's a comic book fan, this is probably a reference to Daredevil, where Matt Murdock fights crime as an acrobatic martial arts superhero after being blinded by toxic waste - which also enhances his remaining senses.
Losing an eye is a very traumatic, of couse, an we don't want to make light of it. If you've been affected by an eye accident, the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's website offers some advice.
Andrew pipes up: Giles suggests that Andrew takes his "flute thing" with him on his mission with Spike. This is the set of wooden pipes he uses in Life Serial to summon the demons at Xander's construction site.
Herder headline: The band on stage at the Bronze are none other than Nerf Herder, composers and performers of the Buffy theme tune. The name Nerf Herder is a made-up derogatory term taken from Star Wars. The band was formed in 1994 by Parry Gripp, Steve Sherlock and original bassist Charlie Dennis. They were given the job of writing the Buffy theme after Joss Whedon heard the cast playing CDs of their music during the filming of season one. In this episode, they can be heard performing Rock City News, from their album American Cheese.
Head gear: Eagle eyed viewers may notice that the crash helmet Andrew wears is the same American football helmet Dawn wore in Bargaining Part 2. We never did figure out which team it was from.
Flower power: The onion blossom Spike refers to is a bar snack delicacy made at The Bronze. Making one involves cutting halfway into an onion in a radial pattern, then frying it until the sliced pieces fan out like a flower petal. According to Spike, the secret of cooking a good one involves soaking it in ice water for an hour so it holds its shape. Then you deep-fry it root-side up for about five minutes. Yummy. He's mentioned them before in Triangle and Crush.
Return to Oz: Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead is the title of a song from The Wizard of Oz. The Munchkins sing it when, er, they think the Wicked Witch of the West has popped her ruby clogs.
Still snot well: Sarah Michelle Gellar's cold returns once again in this episode. Interestingly, not only does it affect Buffy, but the First as well. Let it never be said that it doesn't strive for accuracy.
Heading out of town: Like most of the population, Clem is fleeing Sunnydale. The loose-skinned demon is heading for Cleveland, where Buffy was based in The Wish's alternate universe. How come Clem can afford such a nice shiny VW Beetle anyway? Does it come from his kitten poker winnings, perhaps?
