The Zeppo (Buffy episode)
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"The Zeppo" is episode 13 of season 3 on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. See also List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes.
Plot synopsis
Summary
Feeling left out by the gang, Xander embarks on a personal quest to be cool by making new friends. One of them, a psychotic student named Jack O'Toole, has the ability to raise the dead, resurrecting three of his former buddies. Xander then finds himself in danger when he learns of a plot by Jack and his gang of zombies to blow up Sunnydale High at midnight, and tries to prevent it.
Meanwhile, Buffy, Faith, and the rest of the gang, oblivious to Xander's dangerous adventure, try to prevent an apocalyptic demon cult, called the Sisterhood of Jhe, from reopening the Hellmouth under the Sunnydale High library.
All through this episode, Xander is just yards away from his unknowing friends while running from Sisterhood demons, getting seduced by Faith, and having a final one-on-one confrontation of wits with Jack.
Eventually, the Hellmouth is closed, while Xander single-handedly defeats Jack and his gang of zombies, thus saving the school. But in the end, Xander decides not to tell anyone about his "very strange night", knowing that no one will believe him anyway. He goes back to being seen as the hapless sidekick, but with renewed confidence in himself.
Expanded overview
A new force of demons lead Buffy, Faith and the rest of the Scooby gang to an underground nest. The demons are killed, but in the process, Xander manages to get himself hurt. Buffy suggests he stay out of the fighting. Xander is desperate to find his place after his breakup with Cordelia and the alienation from his friends. When another student throws him a football, he misses and it hits Jack O'Toole's lunch. Jack threatens to beat him up as soon as he gets his group back together. Cordelia, having witnessed the entire event rubs Xander's lack of cool in his face. Meanwhile, Giles informs Buffy that the end of the world is near. A group is planning to reopen the hellmouth and bring forth the demons it contains.
After a discussion with Oz about what makes someone cool, Xander gets himself a car that he believes will make him cool. Buffy and Willow aren't at all impressed due to the hellmouth reopening and they fail to tell Xander about it because they want him out of the loop. While getting donuts for the rest of the researching gang, Xander meets a girl who likes his car and wants to go for a ride, but as it turns out she only likes the car. At the Bronze that night, Xander rear-ends a parked car which Jack was in. A cop shows up, Xander covers for Jack and then the two, and car girl leave to go get the rest of Jack's friends. It turns out that all of Jack's friends are already dead and he's raising them from their graves.
At the library Buffy, Willow and Giles are researching, while Oz--in werewolf mode--is freaking out in the cage. Willow thinks it's because he can sense trouble. Giles leaves to try and contact some spirits and hopefully get their help with stopping the Sisterhood of Jhe, a group of fierce demons (of the same sort as the ones that the gang killed in the cave a few days before) that plans to end the world.
Xander, now "Car Guy" for Jack and his friends takes them to get supplies to "bake a cake," or rather build a bomb. While the boys are getting the supplies from a hardware store, Xander spots Willow leaving the magic shop and she, thinking the world may end, tells him she loves him. After Jack and friends decide to initiate Xander into the club by killing him and then raising him again, he runs and manages to escape in his car. He rescues Faith, who was fighting off the demons and then takes her to her apartment and she persuades him to sleep with her. She kicks him out, clothes in hand, quickly after.
Xander, after realizing Jack was building a bomb, and finding its location, heads towards the school to stop it followed by Jack and his group of dead guys. After disposing of Jack's friends, Xander heads down to the boiler room to defuse the bomb. Jack shows up, and after a fight between the two, Xander asks Jack whose more afraid of death. Jack points out that he's already dead, but Xander points out that 'walking around drinking beer with your buddies'-dead is a lot different from 'being blowed up and swept up by a janitor'-dead. Jack sees the logic and defuses the bomb with seconds to spare. Xander leaves Jack there, who, upon opening a side door is devoured by Oz, in his werewolf form, who Buffy and Willow transported down there earlier in efforts to calm him down. Meanwhile, Buffy, Angel, Faith, Giles and Willow are at the library trying to fend off the giant multi-headed monster and members of the group of female demons. The next day, the Hellmouth is closed, everyone's a little beat up, Oz remarks feeling very full. Xander walks by to check up on his friends, but decides to keep his harrowing night to himself. Cordelia walks by and once again taunts Xander about him being left out of his circle of friends. But instead of lashing back at her, Xander just smiles and quietly walks by the bewildered Cordelia, now a better and confident person from it all.
Writing and acting
The way the Scoobies treated Xander in this episode seems rather abrupt."The Zeppo" is a twist on the show format, which normally consists of an action-packed "A-story" and a character-development "B-story." Here, Xander's feelings of inadequacy develop into the A-story while saving the world becomes the B. Xander ultimately saves the school and his friends.
Production details
Music
- Beastie Boys - "Putting Shame In Your Game"
- Christophe Beck - "Dead Guys With Bombs"
- Extreme Music Library - "For the glory"
- Michael Jackson - "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin"
- Sound Stage Music Library - Dodgems"
- Supergrass - "G-song"
- Tricky Woo - "Easy 09"
Quotes and trivia
Zeppo Marx is the straight man among the Marx Brothers and long considered to be the most unexceptional member of the act. Xander is treated in the same way in this episode.
The Executive Producer of Doctor Who; Russell T Davies, mentions the Buffy episode "The Zeppo" as a possible influence on the Dr Who episode "Love and Monsters".
Continuity
Arc significance
- Xander went his own way in this episode.
- Xander loses his virginity to Faith, but the boost to his self-esteem is undermined by Buffy's statement about Faith in "Consequences".
Timing
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Location, time (if known) | Buffyverse chronology: January 1999 - Spring 1999 (non-canon = italic) |
|---|---|
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy graphic novel: Uninvited Guests (Buffy comic)>Uninvited Guests |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy comic: The Final Cut (Buffy comic)>The Final Cut |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy graphic novel: Bad Blood (Buffy comic)>Bad Blood |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.11 Gingerbread (Buffy episode)>Gingerbread |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy comic: Food Chain (Buffy comic)#Bad Dog>Bad Dog (by Doug Petrie) |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy graphic novel: Crash Test Demons (Buffy comic)>Crash Test Demons |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy graphic novel: Pale Reflections (Buffy comic)>Pale Reflections |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.12 Helpless (Buffy episode)>Helpless |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.13 The Zeppo (Buffy episode)>The Zeppo |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.14 Bad Girls (Buffy episode)>Bad Girls |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.15 Consequences (Buffy episode)>Consequences |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.16 Doppelgängland (Buffy episode)>Doppelgängland |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy book: Doomsday Deck (Buffy novel)>Doomsday Deck |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy book: Immortal (Buffy novel)>Immortal |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.17 Enemies (Buffy episode)>Enemies |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy graphic novel: |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Prime Evil (Buffy novel)>Prime Evil |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Revenant (Buffy novel)>Revenant |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | B3.18 Earshot (Buffy episode)>Earshot |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | B3.19 Choices (Buffy episode)>Choices |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Power of Persuasion (Buffy novel)>Power of Persuasion |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | B3.20 The Prom (Buffy episode)>The Prom |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Resurrecting Ravana (Buffy novel)>Resurrecting Ravana |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy books: The Gatekeeper (Buffy novel)>The Gatekeeper [Trilogy] |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Return to Chaos (Buffy novel)>Return to Chaos |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Visitors (Buffy novel)>Visitors |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Unnatural Selection (Buffy novel)>Unnatural Selection |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Obsidian Fate (Buffy novel)>Obsidian Fate |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Deep Water (Buffy novel)>Deep Water |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Here Be Monsters (Buffy novel)>Here Be Monsters |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: The Book of Fours (Buffy novel)>The Book of Fours |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | B3.21 Graduation Day, Part One (Buffy episode)>Graduation Day, Part One |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | B3.22 Graduation Day, Part Two (Buffy episode)>Graduation Day, Part Two |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Sunnydale High Yearbook (Buffyverse)>Sunnydale High Yearbook |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy comic: Food Chain (Buffy comic)#Double Cross>Double Cross |
External links
Reviews
- [Soulful Spike Society analysis of The Zeppo]
- [Peripheral Visions Review]
- [Section 31 Review]
- [Swing the Sickle Review]
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