Filming What’s My Line?

Juliet Landau told the crowd at a Buffy event (Starfury Fusion, Blackpool, England in 2004) about her experience filming scenes in What’s My Line? (Part 2):

Kendra’s accent

Kendra’s accent was (how do I put this?) … bizarre. It’s probably what she was most remembered for (besides being the first new Slayer). In an interview with SFX magazine, Bianca explains just how unhappy she was with the accent herself:

Monkey Pants

Seth Green said in an Ultimate TV chat that the line, “I mock you with my monkey pants” in What’s My Line? (Part 2) was an idea of Alyson Hannigan’s. She had dreamt that Seth said that, and Joss Whedon decided to include it in the episode. In her commentary for the season four DVD, Marti Noxon claims that the part after Oz’s compliment about Willow’s smile was all ad-libbed by Seth and Alyson.
The story doesn’t end there - in the episode Surprise, Buffy dreams that Willow says to her in French, “the hippo stole his pants”. Many fans think that this is a reference to Oz’s line to Willow about animal crackers. The full conversation between Oz and Willow runs as follows (Oz used a French accent for the monkey’s line):

Seen It All?

The following line from the original script of What’s My Line? (Part 2) was cut for length from the broadcast:

Xander: “You know, just when you think you’ve seen it all, along comes a worm guy.”

Talking crazy

This exchange between Buffy and Kendra was deleted from the episode What’s My Line? (Part 2):

Kelly Connell

Kelly Connell, who played Mr. Norman Pfister/Bug Man in What’s My Line?, has worked with Alyson Hannigan before in an episode of Picket Fences called ‘To Forgive Is Divine’. Kelly has also been in Spider-Man 2, K-PAX, Cocktail and CSI.

Spice Williams

Spice Williams played Patrice the demon assassin policewoman in What’s My Line? (Part 2). She played Debbie in the Angel episode ‘Salvage‘ (the woman who tries to kill Faith in prison), and she played a vampire in From Dusk Till Dawn. Spice is a stuntwoman who has done stunts for Spider-Man, Galaxy Quest, For the Love of the Game, Spawn, Batman and Robin, Natural Born Killers, Liar, Liar and The Lost Boys. Spice is married to Gregory Crosby, who is a screenwriter and the oldest grandson of Bing Crosby.
She was not credited for her role in Buffy as (in her words in an email to the Buffy Trivia Guide):

Spice also appeared in the episode The Zeppo as a member of the Sisterhood of Jhe. She says:

Bugman

The Bugman was a member of the Order of Taraka who posed as Norman Pfister, a cosmetics salesman from the company ‘Blush Beautiful Cosmetics’. He was actually a demon who could turn himself into thousands of maggot-type creatures at will. He attacked Cordelia and Xander, who later killed him by poring glue on him whilst in insect form in What’s My Line? (Part 2).

Patrice

Patrice was a red-haired member of the Order of Taraka. She posed as a police woman at the Career Fair at Buffy’s school. She attacked Buffy there, and briefly held Jonathan hostage. Patrice shot Oz whilst aiming for Buffy in What’s My Line? (Part 2).

Sam Tsebuto

Sam Tsebuto was Kendra’s Watcher. He had been training her for years in Jamaica. Sam was well respected within The Watchers Council. He sent Kendra to Sunnydale in What’s My Line, Part One while he went on the Watcher’s Retreat.

Blackberry patch

Drusilla sings the rhyme, “Run and catch, run and catch, the lamb is caught in the blackberry patch” in the episodes Lie to Me and What’s My Line? (Part 2). She also sings this in the Angel episode ‘Reunion‘.

Buffy’s basement stairs

When they first show Buffy’s basement in season two’s What’s My Line, Part Two, and everytime thereafter until season six’s Flooded, the stairs leading down are solid concrete. But in Normal Again they’re suddenly wooden, with spaces in between the stairs (as seen when Buffy reaches through and trips Tara). They remain wooden throughout season seven.

Buffy’s moving door

The front door of Buffy’s house changes in different episodes. In the season one episode Angel, when Buffy is trying to close her front door on The Three, you can see that the front door opens on Buffy’s right. In the season two episodes Inca Mummy Girl and Halloween, we see that Buffy’s door now opens on her left.
Later in season two, when Cordelia talks to Norman Pfister in Buffy’s hall in What’s My Line? (Part 2), you can see that the door handle of Buffy’s front door is on the left. But when Xander let Cordelia in the house in the previous episode (What’s My Line? (Part 1))the handle was on the right!

Demon magnet

Xander’s relationship with the praying mantis in Teacher’s Pet is joked about in several later episodes, such as I Robot, You Jane, Inca Mummy Girl, Anne (in which Cordelia says of Xander, “He’s always been attracted to monsters” and later mentions Ampata from Inca Mummy Girl, calling her “some hot little Inca mummy girl”), What’s My Line? (Part 2) and Something Blue, when Willow says, “Let’s look at your bio: Insect Lady, Mummy Girl, Anya… you’re a demon magnet.” In First Date, Xander says, “Another demon woman was attracted to me” after his date Lyssa turned out to be evil.

Nobody messes with…

In Bargaining (Part 2), Tara says of Willow, “Nobody messes with my girl”. This could be a reference to season two’s What’s My Line? (Part 2), in which Buffy says of Angel, “Spike is going down. You can attack me, you can send assassins after me, that’s fine. But nobody messes with my boyfriend.” Additionally, Xander says, “Hey! Nobody messes with my Willow” in The Pack.

Oz’s ambition

All Oz wants out of life is to play an E flat diminished ninth chord. He mentioned to Willow in What’s My Line? (Part 2).

Slayer Handbook

The rule book for Slayers, which also suggest study material. Giles decided not to bother with one for Buffy as soon as he met her (which explains why he told Buffy he had no “rule book” for her in Never Kill a Boy on the First Date), as he realised it would be useless in her case. He told this to Buffy in What’s My Line? (Part 2).
In This Year’s Girl, Buffy said to Giles, “Why? Because ray guns aren’t in the Slayer handbook?”

They’re back

Spike and Drusilla appear in Surprise for the first time since What’s My Line? (Part 2). Spike was damaged badly in that episode and is now in a wheelchair.

Vamp Duster

What’s My Line? (Part 2) marks the first time that Willow stakes a vampire, and it’s also the first time we actually see Giles dust one.

Victim Johnny

Jonathan, played by Danny Strong, appears in What’s My Line? (Part 2), billed as ‘Hostage Kid’, though his name was established in Reptile Boy.

What happened to the Order of Taraka?

At the beginning of the episode Ted, Buffy, Xander and Willow refer to the events of What’s My Line? (Part 2). The Order of Taraka has apparently been called off, and Angel is still recuperating from the injuries he got from Spike and Drusilla.

Eligor

The key to restoring Drusilla’s health in What’s My Line? was the blood of her sire, Angel, and the invocation of Eligor - a demon who was the “bringer of war, poisoners, pariahs, grand obscenity” and also the “wretched master of decay.”

Healing ritual

In What’s My Line? (Part 1), Spike and his gang discovered a healing ritual for sick vampires hidden in the Du Lac Manuscripts. He used the ritual on Drusilla by tying her and Angel (her sire) together, and putting a dagger through their hands. The dagger was hidden within The Du Lac Cross. Angel’s blood flowed into Drusilla’s and she regained strength.

Holy Water

Holy Water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy. Like other religious symbols (such as the crucifix) it burns vampires, and can even kill them if it touches them in large amounts. Holy Water has been used as a weapon occasionally in the Buffyverse. In The Harvest, Willow threw holy water on Darla. In What’s My Line? (Part 2), Drusilla tortured Angel by dripping holy water on him. Buffy tricked Zachary Kralik into drinking holy water in Helpless. In Lover’s Walk, Buffy, Angel and Spike warded off attacking vampires by throwing holy water at them.

Writings of Drameus

In What’s My Line? (Part 2), Kendra tells Giles she has studied the writings of Drameus - in particular Volume 6, which contains information on the Order of Taraka. Kendra says the writings are the required reading for Slayers according to The Slayer Handbook.

Chevvy Chase

In What’s My Line? (Part 2), Buffy warns Kendra not to watch the in-flight movie if it’s got Chevvy Chase in it. This is a reference to Sarah Michelle Gellar’s 1988 uncredited cameo in the Chase film Funny Farm.

Disneyland / World

In Smashed, Warren says to the security guard, “Museums, libraries, Disney Hall of Presidents … not boring.” The Disney Hall of Presidents is in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida. Disneyland is referenced in What’s My Line, Part Two (Buffy: “No, Disneyland would get boring after a few months”) and Doublemeat Palace (Amy: “That was like a trip to Disneyland without the lines”).

Mary Kay Cosmetics

In Hell’s Bells, the future Anya says she’s doing a make-over party and Xander says, “I hope you crash in your stupid pink car! ” These are references to Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc., a company which was founded in 1963. Mary Kay began issuing pink Cadillacs to its top ‘Independent Beauty Consultants’ in 1969. More than 80,000 cars have been issued internationally.
When Xander and Cordelia met the Bugman (posing as Mr. Pfister from a cosmetics company) in What’s My Line, Part Two, Xander says, “Okay, Mary Kay, time to…”.

Molly Ringwald

Buffy says in What’s My Line? (Part 2), “After all of this is over, I’m thinking pineapple pizza and teen video movie fest. Possibly something from the Ringwald oeuvre.” This is a reference to Molly Ringwald, who starred in many 80s teen movies like Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club. When Alyson Hannigan left the London stage production of When Harry Met Sally in 2004, Molly took over her part.

Power Rangers

Buffy says to Kendra in What’s My Line? (Part 2), “Back off, Pink Ranger!” This is an in-joke, as Sarah Michelle Gellar’s stunt double, Sophia Crawford, used to be the stunt double for the Pink Power Ranger on the kid’s TV show Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

Spike calls Buffy, “Rebecca of Sunnyhell Farm” in What’s My Line? (Part 2), which is a reference to a 1903 children’s book Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm about a farmgirl called Rebecca. It was made into a movie starring Shirley Temple in 1938.

The Beatles

In I Robot - You Jane, Xander refers to the Beatles song “With a Little Help from My Friends” when Buffy says that Dave’s death looked like suicide. The song is from the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Band.
In Out of Mind, Out of Sight, most of Marcie’s text book at her new school is not actually about ‘Infiltration and Assassination’, as the chapter suggests. Most of it is either nonsense or devoted to the Beatles’ “Happiness is a Warm Gun”.
In What’s My Line? (Part 2), Xander says, “I am the bug man, coo coo ka choo.” This is a reference to The Beatles’ psychedelic song “I Am The Walrus” (1967) which contains the line, “I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob.”
The episode The Yoko Factor is named after John Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono, who was widely believed to have been the catalyst for breaking up The Beatles. In that episode, Spike explains this to Adam, who replies, “I like Helter Skelter” (a Beatles song).

The Wizard of Oz

The movie The Wizard of Oz, made in 1939, in mentioned several times in Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
Buffy refers to the hyena-possessed bullies in The Pack as the “winged monkeys”. The phrase comes from the scene in The Wizard of Oz in which the Wicked Witch of the West sends her loyal winged monkeys to collect Dorothy and the ruby slippers. In Flooded, Andrew says he trained flying demon monkeys to disrupt the school play.
In Nightmares, Billy Palmer awakens from his coma and, seeing the Scoobies around his bed, says, “I had the strangest dream. And you were in it, and you”. This is a reference to when Dorothy wakes in her bed and sees her friends around her.
In What’s My Line? (Part 2), Xander says, “Welcome my little pretties”. In The Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West called Dorothy her “pretty”.
In The Yoko Factor, Willow says, “If ever a whiz there was.” This is a line from the song in the film ‘Follow the Yellow Brick Road’ / ‘We’re Off To See the Wizard’.
The episode No Place Like Home takes it’s name from Dorothy clicking her heels together and repeating the phrase, “There’s no place like home” in order to get back to her Kansas home. A similar reference to this phrase is in the Angel episode There’s No Place Like Plrtz Glrb.
In Grave, Willow says, “Fly my pretty…fly!” when she sends her ball of fire to find Andrew and Jonathan. This is what the wicked witch says to her flying monkeys when she sends them off. In Empty Places, Rona says, “Ding, dong, the witch is dead.” This is from a song in The Wizard of Oz.
The title of the Angel episode Over the Rainbow is another reference to The Wizard of Oz, in which the land of Oz is said to be ‘over the rainbow’. In that episode, Cordelia clicks her heels three times (as Dorothy does in the film) and says, “Worth a shot.”

Seen at 01.24 minutes:

Only direct sunlight harms vampires - and it just kills them. Angel is seen being weakened by sunlight which is nowhere near him. This is strange as we’ve seen him with far more sunlight on him before and after this and he was fine then. He should easily be able to break the flimsy cage.

Seen at 18.15 minutes:

In What’s My Line, Part Two, Patrice (the assassin disguised as a policewoman) pulls a gun from her holster, which Buffy knocks out of her hand. Then she pulls another gun from the same holster to fire the shot that hits Oz. Two guns in one holster?

Seen at 18.26 minutes:

When Patrice shoots Oz, the bullet should have gone right into his arm (from the angle at which she was shooting and the hole that appears on his arm) but he just gets scratched.

Seen at 20.32 minutes:

In the library, Cordy picks a worm from her hair then runs from the room. In one shot Kendra’s arms are behind her back, but in the next they’re folded in front of her.

Seen at 20.43 minutes:

Xander slams a book on a bug. The book is a white biology textbook. However when the camera cuts to a shot of all of them standing around the table the book is gone, replaced by an old book with a red cover.

Seen at 25.06 minutes:

In the scene where Kendra and Buffy talk in Giles’ office, Buffy is sitting sharpening a curved knife. She puts the knife down, picks up stake, and begins to whittle the stake with the sharpener. In the next shot, the sharpener is replaced by the knife.

Seen at 33.39 minutes:

Spike’s stunt double can clearly be seen when he fights Buffy - and for some reason his face is very blue.

Seen at 35.54 minutes:

There’s no hole in Angel’s hand when Buffy and Kendra carry him out of the church - even though he had a knife stuck in it by Spike earlier.

Seen at 39.11 minutes:

In the shots when Kendra is leaving, there are two different angles of Kendra and Buffy talking. Kendra’s hair changes in each shot - sometimes her braid is in front of her shoulder and sometimes it’s behind.