In Helpless, we discovered that Buffy’s father Hank took Buffy to the ice capades every year on her birthday (”Look, I know you guys think it’s just a big, dumb, girlie thing, but it’s not. I mean, a lot of those skaters are Olympic medal winners. And every year my dad buys me cotton candy and one of those souvenir programs that has all the pictures, and okay, it’s a big, dumb, girlie thing, but I love it”). Buffy is upset as her father can’t make the date in Helpless because of work commitments, though she didn’t go with him the year before (Surprise) either. After this, Buffy is busy every year on her birthday, either hunting down the Giles-demon (A New Man), protecting her sister Dawn (Blood Ties) or being trapped in a house by Halfrek (Older and Far Away).
In The Initiative, Willow tells Riley that Buffy “likes the ice capades without the irony”. Willow admitted she was sick on Woodstock at Snoopy on Ice when she was little in Helpless.
Buffy’s love of ice skating is also seen in the episodes Angel, What’s My Line, Part One and The Replacement (when Riley says he loves her bad ice skating movies obsession).
August 7th, 2005 at 1:55 am
A friendly correction, Jess. I think Willow actually tells Riley that Buffy “loves Ice Capades without the irony,” which makes more sense.
In the commentary for this episode, Doug Petrie comments on how Willow and Riley began to look to many like a great couple. I totally agree. They had great scenes together.
August 7th, 2005 at 9:37 am
That’s weird, I was always convinced that it was “healthy irony”, but checked and was wrong. Thanks for the correction.
August 23rd, 2005 at 9:39 am
Dawn (Michelle Thrachtenberg) went on to star in a really bad ice skating movie.
January 19th, 2006 at 8:57 am
And now Kristie Swanson is in Skating with Celebrities.