Giles and Joyce alone make this episode great.
If this episode aired today, what would the grown-ups be regressing into? Would it all be ‘80s and ‘90s stuff?
I also have to say how Anthony Stewart Head was so fun to watch, here. But it's an entirely missable episode, and it was a missed opportunity to address the question of what happens to adults with brain chemistry altered to mimic teenage norms, which this episode failed to actually even attempt.
I tend to like "freaky Friday" scenarios because it's fun to see the actor play out of character, but the actual question is much more fascinating, since teenagers make bad decisions not just because of brain chemistry, but largely due to lack of life experience to act as precedent for decision making, not to mention a forced sleep schedule that goes against their natural circadian rhythm, and general incompetent mismanagement and oversight by the adults and institutions running their lives. The wackified adults here were operating under completely different circumstances than the actual teenagers. I wasn't wild and irresponsible in my teenage years. I was actually quite cautious, and eventually rebellious, with many reasons, ideologically and intellectually, against pretty much everything that the adults and the small town mentality preached as a norm, and little has changed in that regard.
I will say that the opening scene with Giles and Buffy in the graveyard seems like it was written as Buffy being ADHD/lacking focus from Executive Function disorder (attentiveness), whether they intended that or not.
This is by far one of my favorite silly/filler episodes! It’s just fun y’all roll with it. I do wonder how the “teenagers” would act today in 2024? Heavy silver make up? Emo trends and music? Would be a blast to redo!
Shout by kremfloeteBlockedParent2015-05-22T00:50:23Z
Love Giles in this episode.