History Recap / BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E16BewitchedBotheredAndBewildered

* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Buffy, once the transformation spell is reversed.

* GeniusBonus: For the love spell, Amy calls upon Diana, goddess of love and the hunt. Throughout history, Diana has been believed to have dominion over many things including the wilderness and untamed frontiers (which may include love). She has also been depicted as a torchbearer or guide, and has been known to be invoked for issues regarding fertility. It is for these reasons that it makes sense to call on Diana for a love spell. However, because Diana is most commonly known as the Roman goddess of forests, animals, and the hunt this could explain why the spell backfired.
** Diana, or her Greek equivalent Artemis, is also famous for being a virgin goddess, who DoesNotLikeMen and does stuff like turn a guy into a deer and sic hunters / dogs on him for peeping on her while she's bathing. So her choosing an interpretation of the spell that would end up harming Xander is entirely in character. Especially considering that what he was requesting was essentially the magical equivalent of a date rape drug. Buffy even calls what he did "invoking the great roofie spirit". (Though, to give him credit, he just wanted to hurt Cordelia emotionally by breaking up on his own terms. He didn't mean to use the love spell the way these kinds of spells / potions designed to be used - to force someone to be attracted to the user against their natural inclinations.)
** Soren Kierkegaard´s book ''Either/Or'' has a section called ''diary of a seducer'', where the "seducer" in question has one particular woman in sight, although his concept of love is fairly erotic. In one of the passages, the Seducer states that he prefers ''Diana'' over the love goddess Venus. No surprise that the name of his love interest is - ''Cordelia''!!! In this episode, Xander becomes an unwitting seducer of all women in Sunnydale. And you thought this was an ''ordinary'' TV Production? To tie in on the "goddess of hunting" reference, Cordelia´s family name is ''Chase'', just to stress the point.

* HoYay: Hilarious invoked by Angelus while threatening Xander.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Xander has almost got a bead on the Buffy-rat when OZ shows up and [[NotSoStoic decks him in the face]], causing the rat to scurry away.

* ValentinesDayEpisodes: The episode takes place during Valentine's Day.

* HeartSymbol: Xander gives Cordelia a heart-shaped necklace. Angelus gives Drusilla an actual heart that he "found in a quaint little shopgirl".

The next morning, Xander swaggers confidently up to Cordelia, but finds her unaffected. Buffy consoles him on what happened with Cordelia, and suggests that they get together to "comfort each other". Xander cannot believe his luck, and two then nearly kiss when interrupted by Amy. Xander realizes that Amy and Buffy are both acting the same way towards him. He runs home, only to find Willow hiding under his sheets wearing only a long shirt. She offers him her virginity, and he flees in terror.

* AboveTheInfluence: Despite being the poster boy for [[HormoneAddledTeenager sexually-deprived male teens]], Xander refuses to take advantage when Buffy, the woman he's been yearning over for the entire series, comes on to him while dressed in a short coat with nothing but stilettos. After the LoveSpell wears off, Buffy is proud of him for it.
** This CharacterDevelopment might have something to do with the fact that there was a reference just the episode before reminding Xander (though not spelling it out for the audience) that he'd tried to rape Buffy while being possessed by a hyena spirit. However, that doesn't keep him from trying to use mind control magic on Cordelia to force her to reconsider her wish to break up. At least he did it with the intent of breaking up with her in revenge, not with the intent to make out with her again.

* SomewhereAMammalogistIsCrying: A subtle one: Buffy transforms into a ''male'' rat. The same goof occurs when Amy is turned into a rat.
** While it was probably a goof, it could be looked at as Amy's spell-casting not going exactly right.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Giles informs Buffy that according to records, Angelus is prone to "brutal displays" around Valentine's Day. Buffy asks for an example, which Giles is reluctant to give her. The next morning, Buffy marches in to see Giles and slaps the "Soon" note down in front of him, and demands to know what she can expect from Angelus. Well, wish granted. By the time Giles tells her about the time Angel nailed a [[PreciousPuppy puppy to some girl's door]], Buffy (steely resolve of the previous day gone) [[TooMuchInformation tells him to skip it]].

* VillainExitStageLeft: After Drusilla falls for Xander, Angelus, apparently having accepted he's not going to be able to kill him, slinks off into the shadows and doesn't appear for the rest of the episode.

* AlliterativeTitle

* NakedInMink:
-->'''Buffy:''' [to Xander] C'mon. It's a party. Aren't you gonna [[DoubleEntendre open your present]]?

** Diana, or her Greek equivalent Artemis, is also famous for being a virgin goddess, who DoesNotLikeMen and does stuff like turn a guy into a deer and sic hunters / dogs on him for peeping on her while she's bathing. So her choosing an interpretation of the spell that would end up harming Xander is entirely in character. Especially considering that what he was requesting was essentially the magicial equivalent of a date rape drug. Buffy even calls what he did "invoking the great roofie spirit". (Though, to give him credit, he just wanted to hurt Cordelia emotionally by breaking up on his own terms. He didn't mean to use the love spell the way these kinds of spells / potions designed to be used - to force someone to be attracted to the user against their natural inclinations.)
** Soren Kierkegaard´s book ''Either/Or'' has a section called ''diary of a seducer'', where the "seducer" in question has one particular woman in sight, although his concept of love is fairly erotic. In one of the passages, the Seducer states that he prefers ''Diana'' over the love godess Venus. No surprise that the name of his love interest is - ''Cordelia''!!! In this episode, Xander becomes an unwitting seducer of all women in Sunnydale. And you thought this was an ''ordinary'' TV Production? To tie in on the "goddess of hunting" reference, Cordelia´s family name is ''Chase'', just to stress the point.

* SexyManInstantHarem
* ShesGotLegs: [[BigOMG OMG,]] [[Creator/SarahMichelleGellar SMG!]]

* TorchesAndPitchforks

* UptownGirl
* ValentinesDayEpisodes

* AboveTheInfluence: Despite being the poster boy for [[HormoneAddledTeenager sexually-deprived male teens]], Xander refuses to take advantage when Buffy, the woman he's been yearning over for the entire series, comes on to him while dressed in a short coat with nothing underneath. After the LoveSpell wears off, Buffy is proud of him for it.

** When Spike bemoans that he's not simply ripping Buffy's lungs out, Angel claims it lacks poetry, Spike retorts, "Doesn't have to. What rhymes with lungs?" This refers to his past as a (not very good) poet which will be revealed in the Season 5 episode "[[{{Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E7FoolForLove}} Fool For Love]]".

* {{Sexophone}}: While Xander struggles with the library door, the wacky music fades to a sultry sax as we see that Buffy's clad in a black raincoat and clearly [[GoingCommando nothing else]].

* ReadyForLovemaking: Willow hides in Xander's bed, wearing one of his shirts. Buffy is parading around in a raincoat and nothing else.

** Soren Kierkegaard´s book ''Either/Or'' has a section called ''diary of a seducer'', where the "seducer" in question has one particular woman in sight, although his concept of love is fairly erotic. In one of the passages, the Seducer states that he prefers ''Diana'' over the love godess Venus. No surprise that the name of his love interest is - ''Cordelia''!!! In this episode, Xander becomes an unwitting seducer of all women in Sunnydale. And you though this was an ''ordinary'' TV Production?

-->'''Drusilla:''' Your face is a poem. I can read it.
-->'''Xander:''' [terrified] Really? It doesn't say 'spare me' by any chance?

-->"Yesterday we just sat together, not even speaking. Just enjoying comfortable silence. ({{beat}}) Man, that was dull."

-->'''Cordelia:''' Harmony, '''shut up'''. Do you know what you are, Harmony? You're a sheep.
-->'''Harmony:''' I'm not a sheep!
-->'''Cordelia:''' You're a sheep. All you ever do is what everyone else does just so you can say you did it first. And here I am, scrambling for your approval, when I'm WAY cooler than you are 'cause I'm NOT a sheep. I do what I wanna do, and I wear what I wanna wear. And you know what? I'll date whoever the hell I wanna date. [[BackhandedCompliment No matter HOW lame he is!]]

** Soren Kierkegaard´s book ''Either/Or'' has a section called ''diary of a seducer'', where the "seducer" in question has one particular woman in sight, although his concept of love is fairly erotic. In one of the passages, the Seducer states that he prefers ''Diana'' over Venus the love godess Venus. No surprise that the name of his love interest is - ''Cordelia''!!! In this episode, Xander becomes an unwitting seducer of all women in Sunnydale. And you though this was an ''ordinary'' TV Production?

-->"I seem to be having a slight case of nudity here."

-->'''Angelus:''' [leans in to bite] If it's any consolation, I feel ''very'' close to you right now.

** Diana, or her Greek equivalent Artemis, is also famous for being a virgin goddess, who DoesNotLikeMen and does stuff like turn a guy into a deer and sic hunters / dogs on him for peeping on her while she's bathing. So her choosing an interpretation of the spell that would end up harming Xander is entirely in character. Especially considering that what he was requesting was essentially the magicial equivalent of a date rape drug. (Though, to give him credit, he just wanted to hurt Cordelia emotionally by breaking up on his own terms. He didn't mean to use the love spell the way these kinds of spells / potions designed to be used - to force someone to be attracted to the user against their natural inclinations.)

** This CharacterDevelopment might have something to do with the fact that there was a reference just the episode before reminding Xander (though not spelling it out for the audience) that he'd tried to rape Buffy while being possessed by a hyena spirit. However, that doesn't keep him from trying to use mind control magic on Cordelia to force her to reconsider her wish to break up, which would have been no better if it had worked.

** Diana, or her Greek equivalent Artemis, is also famous for being a virgin goddess, who DoesNotLikeMen and does stuff like turn a guy into a deer and sic hunters / dogs on him for peeping on her while she's bathing. So her choosing an interpretation of the spell that would end up harming Xander is entirely in character. Especially considering that what he was requesting was essentially the magicial equivalent to a date rape drug. (Not specifically to have sex with Cordelia, but he still wanted to change her attitude through mind control magic so that she would be 'willing' to have a romantic relationship with him and make out again.)

** Diana, or her Greek equivalent Artemis, is also famous for being a virgin goddess, who DoesNotLikeMen and does stuff like turn a guy into a deer and sic hunters / dogs on him for peeping on her while she's bathing. So her choosing an interpretation of the spell that would end up harming Xander is entirely in character.