Giles and Joyce listened to Cream’s “Tales of Brave Ulysses” together in Band Candy. In season five’s Forever, the episode after Joyce’s death, we see Giles silently listening to this song again in a tribute to his dead friend, and the memories he had of her.

Peg Stewart, who played Miss Barton in the episode Band Candy, has also been in Charmed, The Norm Show, Frasier, The A-Team and CHiPs.

Cordelia says of Xander in Homecoming, “He kind of grows on you. Like a Chia Pet.” Chia Pets are pots in the shape of various animals which are used to grow plants.

Oz says in Homecoming, “As Willow goes, so goes my nation.” This comes from the political adage that goes: “As Maine goes, so goes the nation”, meaning that whoever Maine voted for in the presidential election was the one who became President (it no longer really works, but people still …

One of Michelle’s weaknesses in Buffy’s list in Homecoming is that she’s “PB Crazed”. This probably a nod to the fans that visited the posting board on the official Buffy web site.

Sarah Michelle Gellar broke a bone in her hand whilst filming the episode Homecoming. When she is standing in front of the white board in the library, you can see a bandage on her left hand.

Ian Abercrombie, who plays the boss of the German twins in Homecoming, was born in London and began his theatrical career as a boy during the Blitz in World War II. He worked on stage for years before trying his hand on TV and in movies. His movie roles include …

Jennifer Hetrick played the teacher Ms. Moran (whom Buffy asked for a reference) in Homecoming. Jennifer played the girlfriend of Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Walter Skinner’s wife in The X Files. There is an action figure available for her Star Trek character.

Chad Stahelski, who played spiny-headed demon Kulak in the episode Homecoming, was David Boreanaz’s stunt double in both Buffy and Angel. He was the stunt double for Keanu Reeves in the Matrix movies and was the body double for the ill-fated Brandon Lee on The Crow. He was also Keanu …

Giles mentions his book Mystery of Acathla in Beauty and the Beasts.

Giles mentions his book Exploring Demon Dimensions in Beauty and the Beasts.

The title of the episode Beauty and the Beasts comes from the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast.

Faith says in Beauty and the Beasts, “Get out of jail free, huh?” This is a reference to the board game Monopoly, which has a card which allows the player to leave jail. In Blood Ties, Buffy tells Dawn she has a “get-out-of-jail-free card”, and in Lies My Parents Told …

Buffy says to the counsellor in Beauty and the Beasts, “Look … I know that I have to do this, and I’ll cooperate and look at your ink blots and everything.” This is a reference to the Rorschach test in which a person’s interpretation of a series of ink blots …

Manimal was a TV series about a college professor who could change into any type of animal. It ran for eight episodes in 1983. The show is referenced by Faith in the episode Beauty and the Beasts.