Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Real Reason Buffy Became A Rat In Season 2 – Screen Rant

Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 2, episode 16, "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" turned Buffy into a rat, but it wasn't just for the plot's sake.

One of the stranger episodes ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer, season 2, episode 16, "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" literally turned Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) into a rat, which wasn't actually just a weird plot device.

Joss Whedon's TV show, which ran for seven seasons from 1997-2003, wasn't at all easy on its actors. Young stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Charisma Carpenter, and others had to endure long hours of filming in a warehouse, and numerous night scenes due to the nature of the show's content. The show's ambitious efforts were rewarded, and launched prominent careers for many of its main stars, including Gellar, who has done numerous movies and TV shows in the years since. However, the small ensemble cast in the show's earlier seasons, which revolved around Buffy and her friendsthe Scooby Gangin high school meant more screen time for the actors, but also more demand.

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For Gellar especially, playing the titular character was taxing. As such, during season 2, which aired in 1998, Gellar turned to Whedon and the show's writers for a way to give her a break from the long nights and massive work load. In a 2013 interview with HuffPost, Gellar stated, "One time, literally, they turned me into a rat so I could get a break. I was like, Really? The most creative writing on television and thats how were giving me a break?". Though certainly an interesting pivot by the show's writers instead of figuring out how to make an entire episode land without Buffy Summers, the episode where Buffy becomes a rat has been harshly scrutinized by some fans for its characterization of Buffy and the plot.

"Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" sees Xander Harris (Brendon) living out every teenage boy's dream: being sought after by every girl in the entire school. Of course, this is achieved via magical means. After Xander is unceremoniously broken up with by his girlfriend at the time, Cordelia (Carpenter), he seeks out fellow high student and witch Amy Madison (Elizabeth Anne Allen) to cast a love spell for him. The intention is to win back Cordelia's affections, but it ends up backfiring. In many different Wiccan practices, the saying "do no harm" is held as an unwavering rule. Xander's intention with the love spell he asked Amy to cast was to ultimately get revenge on Cordelia. At first, the notion of having every girl in schoolincluding Willow and Buffylusting after him seemed like a positive thing, but as the women started to compete with each other, Xander realized the dangers of selfish magic. On the show, Amy turned Buffy into a rat because she was jealous and felt Buffy had a better chance with Xander.

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Real Reason Buffy Became A Rat In Season 2 - Screen Rant