Beer Bad
- Episode aired Nov 2, 1999
- TV-PG
- 1h
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
Xander finds employment as a bartender at a pub where some of Buffy's friends turn into terrifying Cro-Magnon creatures.Xander finds employment as a bartender at a pub where some of Buffy's friends turn into terrifying Cro-Magnon creatures.Xander finds employment as a bartender at a pub where some of Buffy's friends turn into terrifying Cro-Magnon creatures.
Anthony Head
- Rupert Giles
- (as Anthony Stewart Head)
Steven M. Porter
- Jack
- (as Stephen M. Porter)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn an interview, Joss Whedon revealed doubts he and David Solomon had about the quality of the script: "The fourth season's Beer Bad wasn't everyone's cup of tea, especially with Buffy fans". Solomon had some doubts but it turned out to be better than he expected. "Joss wasn't entirely pleased with this story," he says. "He came into my office at the last minute with the script and said to me, 'I tried to make it better but all I did was make it funnier.' I took that to mean, 'We're not exactly sure what this is supposed to be about so just enjoy yourself.' So I actually had a ball doing it. It was a laugh to watch frat boys turn into cavemen and have Buffy affected by the same thing that was affecting them. We just let everyone go 'crazy' and nothing all bad came out of it."
- GoofsXander, Buffy, and Willow get up from the table. The personal microphone equipment clipped to the waistband at the back of Nicholas Brendon's pants is visible; he adjusts his shirt to cover it as they turn to walk.
- Quotes
Buffy Summers: Beer! Buffy want beer.
Rupert Giles: No. Yo-You can't have beer.
Buffy Summers: Want... beer.
Xander Harris: Giles, don't make Cave-Slayer unhappy.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Gift (2001)
- SoundtracksNothing But You
Performed by Kim Ferron
Featured review
I must admit I love this episode
The premise of Beer Bad has Buffy and some newfound fratboy mates drinking beer and turning into neanderthals. If it was played for drama it would be dumb. It's not. It's played for laughs. And it's very funny.
I mean, come on. How can you not love the image of Buffy spinning around and around in a rolling chair? I love the idea that Sarah Michelle Gellar showed up to work and was directed to talk like a cave woman and freak out over television. And she commits admirably to the performance, silly as it is. What's wrong with being silly every now and again?
Xander is also great in this episode. I love how he romanticizes his job as a bartender. His interactions with the frat boys, in which they talk down to him because he is not a college student, represents his larger feelings of aimlessness and lack of worth compared to his friends. Even so, he's completely devoted to his friendship with Buffy. In my head, at least, he's over his romantic feelings for her by now and just wants to be a good friend. I really enjoy seeing the core Scoobies just being there for each other, no matter what. Unfortunately I feel we get less and less of this dynamic as the show goes on. Maybe that's why I vastly prefer seasons 1-3 to anything that follows.
I mean, come on. How can you not love the image of Buffy spinning around and around in a rolling chair? I love the idea that Sarah Michelle Gellar showed up to work and was directed to talk like a cave woman and freak out over television. And she commits admirably to the performance, silly as it is. What's wrong with being silly every now and again?
Xander is also great in this episode. I love how he romanticizes his job as a bartender. His interactions with the frat boys, in which they talk down to him because he is not a college student, represents his larger feelings of aimlessness and lack of worth compared to his friends. Even so, he's completely devoted to his friendship with Buffy. In my head, at least, he's over his romantic feelings for her by now and just wants to be a good friend. I really enjoy seeing the core Scoobies just being there for each other, no matter what. Unfortunately I feel we get less and less of this dynamic as the show goes on. Maybe that's why I vastly prefer seasons 1-3 to anything that follows.
helpful•103
- nightwishouge
- Apr 15, 2021
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