Trivia
Klepto Kid: Did you notice Dawn help herself to Anya's earrings? As the writers are so fond of saying, nothing happens in Buffy without consequences. Expect more to be revealed during season six.
Not just for fun: Jane Espenson explained that the idea of the Buffy Bot wasn't simply to give Sarah Michelle Gellar the chance for comic fun during a period of particular grimness for the character of Buffy.
"It was just like, 'Wouldn’t it be interesting to see what Spike would do with this Bot... to see how those personalities affect each other,'" said Jane. I think the bonus [was that] it was an extra scoop of ice-cream that Sarah got to to do these extra things.
"It was wonderful for us to get to see it, but I really think they came originally out of just the necessity of story."
Seeing Double: The Replacement wasn't the only time Nicholas Brendon's twin brother Kelly Donovan played Xander in Season Five. He crops up again here, doubling for Nick in some scenes, such as the fight at the end of the episode.
Good Gourd: Giles' magic gourd (first seen in season four's Primeval) reappears during his summoning of the spirit guide.
The gourd is a plant from the cucurbitacea family, which includes cucumbers, watermelons and pumpkins. You can make musical instrument out of them.
That's enough about gourds. Back to the guide. It takes the form of the primitive First Slayer, played - as she was in Restless - by Sharon Ferguson.
Snogging Spike: Despite Spike's shameless naughtiness with the Buffy Bot, Buffy finally gives him a kiss - even if she is pretending to be the Buffy Bot at the time. Hey, do you think those crazy kids have a chance together after all?
