# Buffy 02/11/03 - First Date. (spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-02-11-03-first-date-spoilers/154202 "2003-02-10T21:27:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-02-11-03-first-date-spoilers/154202/101 "2003-02-13T21:59:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Death \* > \*\*The original Nikki was stuntowman April Weeden-Washington, but she’s not credited for this ep. Checking the IMDB, I note that K D Aubert is not credited there. The photos look about right, so I’d guess that’s her. > \*\* But April Weeden-Washington does have the credit for the part of Nikki in ‘First Date’ (as well as ‘Fool for Love’) in her IMDB entry: [http://us.imdb.com/Name?Weeden-Washington,+April](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Weeden-Washington,+April) So it was the same woman, though I can’t see why ME didn’t feel the need to credit her this time (when she has lines) but did credit her the first time. She only has six acting credits, as opposed to stunts, where she has 22. **pepperlandgirl,** I don’t know why you’d think she’d be too old for the part. It’s been less than 3 years, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-02-11-03-first-date-spoilers/154202/102 "2003-02-13T22:08:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Saltire \* > \*\*But April Weeden-Washington does have the credit for the part of Nikki in ‘First Date’ (as well as ‘Fool for Love’) in her IMDB entry: > [http://us.imdb.com/Name?Weeden-Washington,+April](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Weeden-Washington,+April) > > So it was the same woman, \*\* No, it wasn’t. The entry is mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-02-11-03-first-date-spoilers/154202/103 "2003-02-13T22:19:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by joshmaker \* > \*\*…Besides, I think that the writers of Buffy have been doing it long enough, and are talented enough that they don’t need to rely on focus groups to make decisions for them. But hey, what do I know? \*\* They must be using some measure of success, or why would they have had the bit with the junior scoobies in the school’s basement and then done nothing with them? Just to set up the “Counselor Buffy”, another plot line they have done almost nothing with? ---
**Author:** ![joshmaker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a587f6/32.png) [@joshmaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joshmaker)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-02-11-03-first-date-spoilers/154202/104 "2003-02-14T00:38:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Devil’s Grandmother \* > They must be using some measure of success, or why would they have had the bit with the junior scoobies in the school’s basement and then done nothing with them? Just to set up the “Counselor Buffy”, another plot line they have done almost nothing with? Yah… I don’t know. Here are three ideas though: 1.) To fake out the fans by making them think that the story line was going in one direction when it then went in another. 2.) Like many plot threads in Buffy, they will be brought back when we least suspect it. 3.) The writers, independent from any focus group, decided that they did not like the way the story was heading, so altered it slightly. Now, I don’t know anything about the behind the scenes aspect of Buffy. However, my guess is that the creative people at mutant enemy don’t need to rely on focus groups. That sort of thing seems to be favored by advertisers and television executives – not artists. Again, I don’t have any inside information, just my guess. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-02-11-03-first-date-spoilers/154202/105 "2003-02-14T00:47:16Z")
> [@](#): > > I doubt it. A show like Buffy has to be planned way in advance… I don’t think that enough time would have passed (from when the first episode of the season was made) for that to be possible. Besides, I think that the writers of Buffy have been doing it long enough, and are talented enough that they don’t need to rely on focus groups to make decisions for them. But hey, what do I know? Buffy is not as planned out as you think. JW has an overall arc planned, he knows who the small/big bads are, but that’s about it. Last year they had no idea what they were going to do after episode 13, Dead Things, with Buffy and Spike’s relationship, for example. This year, episode 16 is literally a filler—JM was sick and couldn’t film what was meant to be 16, and so it was pushed back and a new one was done. Carlos and Kit were meant to be in 15 episodes. Last year, Life Serial was also a filler ep…In S2, Spike was supposed to die in WML2, but they kept him on. I’d say that changed the dynamics of the latter half of the season somewhat. THey didn’t even decide Spike’s story would be that of redemption until March of last year… JW isn’t stupid. He knows he has a huge fanbase online, and it doesn’t hurt to gauge their reactions. > [@](#): > > So it was the same woman, though I can’t see why ME didn’t feel the need to credit her this time (when she has lines) but did credit her the first time. She only has six acting credits, as opposed to stunts, where she has 22. > > pepperlandgirl, I don’t know why you’d think she’d be too old for the part. It’s been less than 3 years, after all. 1, you are mistaken. and 2, _I_ don’t think anything. ME thought she was too old. Someone emailed her and asked she replied that she tried out for the part and that they said she was too “mature”. Shoot, she looked older than the average slayer 3 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Wisp00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/977dab/32.png) [@Wisp00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wisp00)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-02-11-03-first-date-spoilers/154202/106 "2003-02-14T07:39:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Death \* > \*\*Meanwhile, here’s a Loony Theory - Wood’s mother’s Watcher is also Wood’s father. \*\* Hehe! I had that thought, too! > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by The Devil’s Grandmother_ > **However, we’re assuming the watcher was a man. Did Wood specify?** I was under the impression that all Watchers were men. Isn’t it passed down father to son? > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by joshmaker_ > **People seem to have been confused because of the quick cut from Willow to Xander on the torture wheel. But television is not in real time – after all, the car ride over to the high school did not really take ten minutes. The writer or director just compressed events a little bit in order to make the scene funnier.** What confused me was that the they showed Xander being tortured _first_, then the message, then Xander being tortured again. Sure, events might not be in real time - but they should at least be in the right order. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-02-11-03-first-date-spoilers/154202/107 "2003-02-14T07:45:47Z")
> [@](#): > > I was under the impression that all Watchers were men. Isn’t it passed down father to son? Faith’s fake, evil watcher, before Wesley showed up, was a woman. I think if there were no female Watchers, Giles wouldn’t have been fooled. ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-02-11-03-first-date-spoilers/154202/108 "2003-02-14T07:49:57Z")
Also, I believe Giles’ grandmother was a Watcher. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffy-02-11-03-first-date-spoilers/154202.md?page=5)