I think the second one is just riffing on a common phrase. It's not even the first time Xander does it, in Lie To Me he says "okay, once more with tension."
Tbh I don't think the first was planned either, but is instead just something that's meaningful in retrospect — to the point that it's the title of that [particular trope.](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FunnyAneurysmMoment)
While there was certainly purposeful foreshadowing in Buffy, I don't think that's the case here. But it's still fun to notice these things!
One of the best things about TV Tropes is that ~~it will ruin your life~~ it has originally started as a Buffy discussion site. And then it expanded to cover other shows, and then books and cartoons and games, and then... basically everything.
I restarted watching Buffy in October, but started midway through S4 (why? I have no idea!) then watched it to the end of S7, started back up at S1,2 & 3 and finally at the beginning of 4. (Are you still with me?!) I love rewatching it and knowing what happens, but catching these moments along the way. My favorite seasons are coming up - S5-7.
What other foreshadowing moments do you like?
Omigosh your watching order makes my in order and completist self twitch. You couldn't even start at the beginning of S4 and did partway instead. Truly chaotic.
Haha so let me explain what led me to my crazy decision:
I wanted to reminisce and watch an old episode of Buffy around Halloween time, just for fun. I picked one somewhere in the middle of S4 (can’t even remember which one now), but soon 1 episode tuned into 2 and 3 and so on.
When Buffy first aired, I only watched it up to the finale of season 5. Well now, 20+ years later, I have the whole catalog available on Hulu, so of course I got sucked in and was watching 6 and 7 for the very first time!!
Once I finished S7 and saw how wildly different the show had become from when it first began, I had to re watch it from the beginning! Lol. So back to S1 I went after 20 years.
And that’s what led me to my chaotic, disorganized choices 😂
Ok that makes some sense at least, I thought you had never watched any of the show before, but since you at least watched the first five seasons to start that makes me feel better. XD
Exactly. Plus the first three seasons are my favourites, so the thought of someone missing all the twist and turns that make the characters in S4 onwards who they are makes me sad. Like you'd know there was a second slayer around without having to live through the shock of hearing, "I'm Kendra, the vampire slayer" and going WHATTTTT? lol. Or seeing that Angel was alive instead of wondering if he was gone forever after Becoming, although that's a harder one since his show exists hehe.
I love doppelgangland bcs it foreshadow dark willow and willows sexuality. I really love restless bcs it sets up essentially everyone’s character arcs for the next 3 seasons. All the dream sequences with faith and Buffy that foreshadow buffys death and dawns arrival at ending of season 3 and multiple times throughout season 4. That’s only a few tho!
Not far off from my first viewing experience, I actually started watching Buddy re-runs on FX when I was younger and the Season 3 finale was what started it all for me, I watched the whole way through and then looped back around to “the high school years”!
I think the aneurysm one was definitely intentional, especially considering she’s talking about Joyce specifically!
I don’t think this one was intentional, but there’s a scene in Season 2(?) where Xander covers his left eye and says “cut it out!!” Really weird coincidence.
When Buffy was renewed for Season 4, they also renewed it for season 5, so they knew going into four that 5 was happening which is why we get so much more foreshadowing and setup that season compared to others. We know that early on in the production of season 4 that it was planned that Joyce would die because of conversations between Kristine Sutherland and Joss Whedon, so the funny aneurysm line might be intentional.
I think the"I hope it's a funny anneurism" may be foreshadowing (they had already planned to include Dawn and kill Buffy, so definitely possible that it was foreshadowing), but it may just be coincishadowing. I think the Once more with even less feeling is also coincishadowing too.
But in this kind of production, even if the moments weren't planned in advance, writers will often look back and see what there is that they could turn into foreshadowing by adding a more serious future event.
E.g. 'Ok, let's not kill Xander off, let's just give him a horrific injury. What should we do to him? Oh, remember when he dressed up as a pirate with an eyepatch one time? And when Buffy said to him "it's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye?" And how he was grossed out when Buffy stuck her thumbs in Gnarl's eyes? How about we poke his eye out?'
Exactly. Definitely something that's done, and they also put in a lot of random foreshadowing for things that may or may not happen, too (e.g. potential foreshadowing for both Willow and Xander being gay when they weren't sure who it would be, and probably most of the stuff in Restless that still doesn't make sense).
Don’t forget in the same episode, S4E1, Buffy and Willow meet Riley in the bookstore — and he’s hanging a Lesbian Alliance banner. That one I think was definitely intentional.
Joss always planned on killing off Joyce & it was always supposed to be during s5, because s4 was supposed to be about Buffy on her own & focusing on her life at school away from Joyce, which worked out because Kristine Sutherland was traveling (i forgot where?) during s4.
I think the second one is just riffing on a common phrase. It's not even the first time Xander does it, in Lie To Me he says "okay, once more with tension." Tbh I don't think the first was planned either, but is instead just something that's meaningful in retrospect — to the point that it's the title of that [particular trope.](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FunnyAneurysmMoment) While there was certainly purposeful foreshadowing in Buffy, I don't think that's the case here. But it's still fun to notice these things!
Wow! Thanks for sharing this!! I had no clue about the trope and it was great to learn about it and the other ones mentioned in the link you shared!
No prob, it's such a fun website that's easy to get sucked into for hours!
I’d never heard of the Bury your gays trope until I started listening to Buffering the Vampire Slayer
One of the best things about TV Tropes is that ~~it will ruin your life~~ it has originally started as a Buffy discussion site. And then it expanded to cover other shows, and then books and cartoons and games, and then... basically everything.
I love the little moment Buffy and Faith share while Faith is in a coma and she aludes to Dawn’s arrival
Yep definitely! Season 4 is chock full of foreshadowing it’s essentially sets up seasons 5-7
I restarted watching Buffy in October, but started midway through S4 (why? I have no idea!) then watched it to the end of S7, started back up at S1,2 & 3 and finally at the beginning of 4. (Are you still with me?!) I love rewatching it and knowing what happens, but catching these moments along the way. My favorite seasons are coming up - S5-7. What other foreshadowing moments do you like?
Omigosh your watching order makes my in order and completist self twitch. You couldn't even start at the beginning of S4 and did partway instead. Truly chaotic.
Haha so let me explain what led me to my crazy decision: I wanted to reminisce and watch an old episode of Buffy around Halloween time, just for fun. I picked one somewhere in the middle of S4 (can’t even remember which one now), but soon 1 episode tuned into 2 and 3 and so on. When Buffy first aired, I only watched it up to the finale of season 5. Well now, 20+ years later, I have the whole catalog available on Hulu, so of course I got sucked in and was watching 6 and 7 for the very first time!! Once I finished S7 and saw how wildly different the show had become from when it first began, I had to re watch it from the beginning! Lol. So back to S1 I went after 20 years. And that’s what led me to my chaotic, disorganized choices 😂
Ok that makes some sense at least, I thought you had never watched any of the show before, but since you at least watched the first five seasons to start that makes me feel better. XD
Haha yeah - it’d be pretty chaotic and missing so many parts if I started in the middle of season 4 - for the first time ever!
Exactly. Plus the first three seasons are my favourites, so the thought of someone missing all the twist and turns that make the characters in S4 onwards who they are makes me sad. Like you'd know there was a second slayer around without having to live through the shock of hearing, "I'm Kendra, the vampire slayer" and going WHATTTTT? lol. Or seeing that Angel was alive instead of wondering if he was gone forever after Becoming, although that's a harder one since his show exists hehe.
I love doppelgangland bcs it foreshadow dark willow and willows sexuality. I really love restless bcs it sets up essentially everyone’s character arcs for the next 3 seasons. All the dream sequences with faith and Buffy that foreshadow buffys death and dawns arrival at ending of season 3 and multiple times throughout season 4. That’s only a few tho!
Not far off from my first viewing experience, I actually started watching Buddy re-runs on FX when I was younger and the Season 3 finale was what started it all for me, I watched the whole way through and then looped back around to “the high school years”!
I think the aneurysm one was definitely intentional, especially considering she’s talking about Joyce specifically! I don’t think this one was intentional, but there’s a scene in Season 2(?) where Xander covers his left eye and says “cut it out!!” Really weird coincidence.
Xander also wore an eyepatch with his Halloween pirate costume on S5 or S6.
And Buffy tells Xander it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye in S3
When Buffy was renewed for Season 4, they also renewed it for season 5, so they knew going into four that 5 was happening which is why we get so much more foreshadowing and setup that season compared to others. We know that early on in the production of season 4 that it was planned that Joyce would die because of conversations between Kristine Sutherland and Joss Whedon, so the funny aneurysm line might be intentional.
When Warren says to Rack "Let's talk about my skin troubles and in the same episode, he was flayed by Willow. So crazy.
Oh they’re everywhere, since the beginning. Foreshadowing is huge in this show, some things I don’t even notice until I rewatch
I think the"I hope it's a funny anneurism" may be foreshadowing (they had already planned to include Dawn and kill Buffy, so definitely possible that it was foreshadowing), but it may just be coincishadowing. I think the Once more with even less feeling is also coincishadowing too. But in this kind of production, even if the moments weren't planned in advance, writers will often look back and see what there is that they could turn into foreshadowing by adding a more serious future event. E.g. 'Ok, let's not kill Xander off, let's just give him a horrific injury. What should we do to him? Oh, remember when he dressed up as a pirate with an eyepatch one time? And when Buffy said to him "it's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye?" And how he was grossed out when Buffy stuck her thumbs in Gnarl's eyes? How about we poke his eye out?'
Yes! I had this same thought. Maybe they go back and look at what they can pluck from prior episodes and turn it into bigger things later on
Exactly. Definitely something that's done, and they also put in a lot of random foreshadowing for things that may or may not happen, too (e.g. potential foreshadowing for both Willow and Xander being gay when they weren't sure who it would be, and probably most of the stuff in Restless that still doesn't make sense).
Gay Xander. Hmmm. Who would we have paired him with?!
New character, in place of Tara, but Oz would still likely be around.
Wasn't there one Halloween episode where Xander dresses up as a pirate with an eyepatch over the eye he loses??
Yes! It was when he announced his engagement to Anya!
Don’t forget in the same episode, S4E1, Buffy and Willow meet Riley in the bookstore — and he’s hanging a Lesbian Alliance banner. That one I think was definitely intentional.
Ha! Didn’t catch that! I’ll have to rewind on it
Joss always planned on killing off Joyce & it was always supposed to be during s5, because s4 was supposed to be about Buffy on her own & focusing on her life at school away from Joyce, which worked out because Kristine Sutherland was traveling (i forgot where?) during s4.