Line #166 Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E16BewitchedBotheredAndBewildered


1	->''"You're a sheep. All you ever do is what everyone else does, so you can say you did it first. And here I am scrambling for your approval when I'm way cooler than you are because 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! No matter how lame he is."''
2	-->'''Cordelia Chase'''
3
4	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/buffys2e16_803.jpg]]
5
6	Directed by Creator/JamesAContner
7
8	Written by Creator/MartiNoxon, Creator/RobDesHotel, & Creator/DeanBatali
9
10	On Valentine's Day, Cordelia finds herself ostracized by her clique for going out with Xander. After sadly accepting a necklace from Xander, she breaks up with him. Xander is humiliated the next morning when everyone at Sunnydale High is laughing at him. He spots Amy Madison using magic to get out of homework and blackmails her into casting a love spell so he can break up with a lovelorn Cordelia.
11
12	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 the 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.
13
14	The next day, all of the girls at Sunnydale High are pleased to see Xander in the hallways; the boys, less so. Xander blockades the door to the library, only to find Buffy, wearing only a trench-coat. When he refuses to undress her because she is under the influence, she becomes enraged. Amy walks in seeking Xander too, and both girls argue, thinking Xander is two-timing them both. Amy turns Buffy into a rat, sending her scurrying behind bookcases.
15
16	On his way out, Xander sees Harmony and other girls viciously attacking Cordelia for what she had done to Xander two nights earlier. He rescues her and takes her outside, only to find an axe-wielding Willow leading other Sunnydale females. Xander and Cordelia flee to Buffy's house, only to find Joyce (‼) pawing over him. Angelus arrives and attacks Xander, but he is saved by Drusila, who is also under the spell. The mob arrives and the two vampires leave. The mob breaks into the house with knives and sticks. Cornered in the basement, Xander reveals to Cordelia that he meant the spell for her (leaving out the part about it being a mode of revenge). She is touched.
17
18	Meanwhile, Giles had convinced Amy to reverse her spells. The Buffy-rat is switched back to human. The spell is lifted from the obsessed women in the Summers' basement. Thinking quickly, Cordy commends their "scavenger hunt."
19
20	The next morning, Willow's emotional history with Xander has left her furious, and she refuses to talk to him. Buffy comments that she was impressed by Xander's reaction to her seduction. Later, Cordelia finally renounces Harmony and her ilk, reconciles with Xander, and walks away arm-in-arm with him.
21
22	----
23	!!Tropes:
24	* AbhorrentAdmirer: One of the women desperate for Xander is a heavy-set lunch lady, clearly intended to be played for laughs (she gets no speaking lines).
25	* 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.
26	* AbsurdlyIneffectiveBarricade:
27	** Xander attempts to take refuge in the school library by pushing a card catalogue against the doors. Since he apparently didn't realize that the doors open outwards, a coat (and not much else) wearing Buffy calmly opens the doors and walks around the cabinet while Xander's back is turned.
28	** The same thing happens later when Xander is trying to block the entrance to Buffy's basement.
29	* ActorAllusion: Buffy receives a long box full of roses with a card that says "[-SOON-]". In the movie ''Film/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'', Creator/SarahMichelleGellar's character awakens to find the same message written on her mirror in lipstick.
30	* AintTooProudToBeg:
31	-->'''Drusilla:''' Your face is a poem. I can read it.\
32	'''Xander:''' [terrified] Really? It doesn't say 'spare me' by any chance?
33	* AlliterativeTitle: '''B'''ewitched '''B'''othered And '''B'''ewildered
34	* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Cordelia realizes the secret's out when she finds herself shunned and ignored by Harmony and the rest of her cronies.
35	* AlmostKiss: Buffy/Xander.
36	* AnythingButThat: Xander expresses a wish that dating were more like slaying, which is of course a vamp's cue to rise from the grave. Buffy stakes the vamp. "Sorry to say, Xand. Slaying is a tad more perilous than dating." Xander counters that she's [[BelligerentSexualTension not dating Cordelia]].
37	* ApologeticAttacker: While crawling in search of the Buffy-rat, Xander looks up to see Oz, who promptly clobbers him with one punch. Oz angrily says that Willow was crying to him all night. "I don't know exactly what happened, but I was left with a very strong urge to hit you." Characteristically, he immediately helps Xander back up.
38	* AudibleSharpness: Joyce's knife. Eeek.
39	* AxCrazy: Literally. Don't break Willow's heart.
40	* BarrierBustingBlow: After throwing Joyce out, Cordy and Xander bicker a bit until Joyce smashes a rake through the glass door and demands to be let in, sporting a smile creepier than anything seen in ''Film/TheShining''.
41	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Giles informs Buffy that according to records, Angelus is prone to "brutal displays of affection" 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 Angelus nailed a [[PreciousPuppy puppy to some girl's wall]], Buffy (steely resolve of the previous day gone) [[TooMuchInformation tells him to skip it]].
42	* BelligerentSexualTension: Xander tells Buffy that his relationship with Cordy is progressing because they don't fight as much.
43	--> "Yesterday we just sat together, not even speaking. Just enjoying comfortable silence. ({{beat}}) Man, that was dull."
44	* BerserkBoardBarricade: Xander feebly tries to fend off the mob by nailing a few wanton boards over the basement entrance.
45	* BigBad: The much-used phrase "Big Bad" is introduced, when Buffy refers to Angelus as the "[[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight big bad thing in the dark]]." However, the term would later be shortened to "Big Bad" in the Season 3 episode "Gingerbread". The term "Big Bad" has since been used to describe the principal villain of each season of ''Buffy'' and ''Series/{{Angel}}'' (as well as the principal villain [[TropeNamers in every other form of media, ever]]).
46	* BigShutUp: By episode's end, Cordelia is back with her snobby GirlPosse. But this time, after Harmony insults Xander again, Cordelia dumps them and proceeds to walk arm-in-arm with Xander, rekindling their relationship.
47	-->'''Cordelia:''' Harmony, '''shut up'''. Do you know what you are, Harmony? You're a sheep.\
48	'''Harmony:''' I'm not a sheep!\
49	'''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!]]
50	* BlackComedyRape: With Amy's help, Xander tries to cast a love spell on Cordelia, his ex. Unfortunately, it backfires, and every woman in Sunnydale BUT Cordy is now madly in love with him. None of them succeed, and it was his fault, but it's still a little unnerving.
51	* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: Lampshaded by Xander after he threatens to out Amy as a witch.
52	-->'''Xander:''' Blackmail is an ugly word.
53	-->'''Amy:''' I didn't say 'blackmail'.
54	-->'''Xander:''' Yeah, but I'm about to blackmail you, so [[PreemptiveDeclaration I thought I'd bring it up]].
55	* BlatantLies: On the spot, Cordy manages to get the crowd of confused, un-ensorcelled women, to buy that they were on the "best scavenger hunt ever".
56	* BreakThemByTalking: Cordy's "sheep" lecture to Harmony.
57	* BreatherEpisode: This episode is rather light-hearted compared to the two episodes before and after it: the generally-serious "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E15Phases Phases]]" and the WhamEpisode "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E17Passion Passion]]".
58	* CatFight: In the hall, Cordy closes her locker when she's confronted by Harmony and the Cordettes, who have suddenly done a 180°. Harmony seethes that Cordy never loved Xander, slaps her in the face, and then the rest of the Cordettes start manhandling her.
59	-->'''Cordelia:''' OK, Harmony, [[AllPeriodsArePMS if you need to borrow my Midol]], just ask.
60	* CatScare: Buffy, already on edge due to Giles warning about Angelus, is startled by Joyce.
61	* ChekhovsGun: The heart-shaped locket Xander bought Cordelia as a Valentine's gift.
62	-->'''Xander:''' Do you think Cordelia will like it?
63	-->'''Buffy:''' I don't know. [[RichBitch Does she know what one of these is?]]
64	* ComfortFood: She may be dateless on Valentine's Day, but by no means is Buffy taking it lying down. She and Joyce are planning to pig out and watch videos all night. "It's a time-honored tradition among the loveless."
65	* ComicallyMissingThePoint:
66	-->'''Buffy:''' I remember coming on to you, I remember begging you to undress me...and then a sudden need for cheese. [[AboveTheInfluence I also remember that you didn't.]]
67	-->'''Xander:''' Need cheese?
68	* ContinuityNod:
69	** Buffy and Giles are still shunning Jenny after the events of "[[{{Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E14Innocence}} Innocence]]".
70	** When Xander tells Buffy she saw Amy work some magic on their teacher, Buffy remembers [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E3TheWitch Amy of all people should know better]].
71	** Finally, when Amy asks if they're going to the Valentine's Day dance, Willow can't '''wait''' to tell her, "My boyfriend (Oz) is in the band!"
72	-->'''Buffy:''' I think you've told everyone.
73	-->'''Willow:''' Only in this hemisphere.
74	* ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind / VillainousRescue: Angelus leans in to make a Valentine's Gift out of Xander (possibly siring him, [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E15Phases as per Theresa]]) when, after a surprise blow, Angelus suddenly goes flying into a tree. Relieved, Xander gasps, "Buffy!". He looks up to see -- Drusilla, also in game face. Angelus can't believe it, but Dru tells him she's finally found a "real man." You have got to be kidding.
75	-->'''Angelus:''' I guess I really ''did'' drive you crazy!
76	* CreatorInJoke: This is the first episode which we see the grave with the name "Alpert" on the tomb. This is named after producer Richard Alpert. The tomb can be seen again throughout the series, in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E18KilledByDeath Killed By Death]]", "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E21BecomingPart1 Becoming, Part 1]]", "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E13TheZeppo The Zeppo]]", "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E9SomethingBlue Something Blue]]", "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E17Superstar Superstar]]", "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E2RealMe Real Me]]" and "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E22Grave Grave]] ".
77	* ADayInTheLimelight: Xander and Cordelia.
78	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Xander seeks refuge at the Summers house, forgetting that Joyce is there, to say nothing of Angelus still on the loose.
79	* DoubleEntendre:
80	** Joyce offering Xander a drink, then idly asking if he's in the mood for something hot.
81	** Buffy's line to Xander: "C'mon. It's a party. Aren't you gonna open your present?"
82	* DramaticNecklaceRemoval: In the hallway, Xander accosts Cordy and demands the necklace back. Cordy's aghast at his lack of class, but then huffs that it's in her locker. Under cover of the locker door, she removes the chain from its real location: [[{{Tsundere}} around her neck]], which was hidden by her fully-buttoned shirt. She steels herself, then closes the door and hands it over. They part company with looks both baleful and sad.
83	* EmptyPilesOfClothing: When Amy turns Buffy into a rat, she falls out of her raincoat which ends up crumpled on the floor, where the rat Buffy then emerges from.
84	* EnvironmentalSymbolism: Below the Etnies sticker in Xander's room, a sticker reading "SHEEP" is shown. This is possibly tied to the women who follow Xander like sheep, and Cordelia's line to Harmony at the end of the episode, but it is more than likely just another band sticker.
85	* EvenTheGuysWantHim: While most of the guys in Xander's TheSlowWalk give him a weird look, wondering why the hell all the girls in school (and women) suddenly want him, a few give him... questioning looks.
86	* FeetFirstIntroduction: Xander's [[LoveIsInTheAir got the love]].
87	* TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest: Buffy tells Xander that he could find someone better than [[AlphaBitch Cordelia]]. Xander pointedly says that the only other person he's interested in is unavailable. Buffy gives an embarrassed, "Oh."
88	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
89	** When Spike bemoans that he's not simply ripping Buffy's lungs out, Angelus claims it lacks poetry, Spike retorts, "Doesn't have to. What rhymes with lungs?" [[spoiler: 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]]".]]
90	** The Spike/Angelus rivalry over Dru continues to simmer for the rest of the season, with unexpected consequences.
91	** When Amy does a spell on Buffy, her eyes go pitch-black like her mother's in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E3TheWitch The Witch]]". This, and the mojo she worked on her teacher, suggests that Amy is taking the same path as her mother regarding the use of magic.
92	** Amy will call on Hecate again [[spoiler: in "[[{{Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E11Gingerbread}} Gingerbread]]" to turn herself into a rat.]]
93	** Xander demonstrates (very mild) carpentry skills for the first time, when he boards up the door of Buffy's basement to keep the rabid girls away.
94	** Engaging in his usual self-depreciation, Xander says he might find a better love interest than Cordy "in a parallel universe". [[spoiler: Cue "[[{{Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E9TheWish}} The Wish]]", in which Cordelia accidentally creates an AlternateUniverse that introduces Xander's future LoveInterest Anya to the series.]]
95	** The first act of this episode spends a lot of time discussing Angelus's "brutal displays of affection" and love of playing mind games with his victims, including slaughtering pets and elaborate stagings of his murders. It seems like {{Fauxshadowing}} in this episode, where his attack on Xander is stopped by Drusilla and overshadowed by the more immediate threat of the love mob, but it all pays off in [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E17Passion the next episode]].
96	* ForcedTransformation: Amy turns Buffy into a rat and tries to do the same to Jenny.
97	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Willow being into kinky stuff foreshadows the behavior of Vampire Willow in Doppelgangland, and also Willow's later sexual awakening.
98	* GoneHorriblyWrong: Instead of affecting Cordelia, the love spell affects every ''other'' woman in Sunnydale.
99	* HalfTruth: While taking cover in Buffy's house, a concerned Joyce asks where Buffy is. Xander, remembering the whole rat situation, stammers, "She's....around?"
100	* HeadDesk: Xander tries to seek refuge inside Buffy's home while getting Cordy out of harm's way. When Joyce suddenly tries to lead him on, he bangs his head on the table.
101	-->'''Xander:''' ''[exasperated]'' ''Whatever!''
102	* HeartSymbol vs. CardiovascularLove: Xander gives Cordelia a heart-shaped necklace. Angelus gives Drusilla an actual heart that he "found in a quaint little shopgirl".
103	* HotForStudent: When Giles chews out Xander, Ms. Calendar barges in and tells Giles they need to talk. She's soon distracted, however, and compliments Xander's shirt. She goes on to tell Giles that she's not just going to go away, but keeps feeling Xander's arm as she does so, and eventually asks him, "Have you been working out?"
104	-->'''Jenny:''' Why don't you undo your little magic trick and get lost?
105	-->'''Amy:''' Who made you Queen of the World? [on second thought] Well, you're old enough to be.
106	-->'''Jenny:''' Well, what can I say? I guess Xander's just ''too much man'' for the pimple squad!
107	* HoYay: Hilariously invoked by Angelus while threatening Xander.
108	-->'''Angelus''': Oh this is perfect! I wanted to do something for Buffy- well, actually ''to'' Buffy - but this is so much better! ''[seizes Xander by the throat and whispers in his ear]'' If it's any consolation, I feel really close to you right now.
109	* HypocriticalHumor:
110	-->'''Xander:''' Th-that's '''it'''!! This has gotta stop. It's time for me to act like a man. [opens the door behind him] [[BaitAndSwitchComment And hide!]] [rushes out]
111	** And Harmony to Cordelia: "Only a sick pup would let Xander get away. No matter ''what'' her friends said!"
112	* IfICantHaveYou: Xander tries to do the right thing by not taking advantage of any of his friends -- unfortunately they're NotGoodWithRejection.
113	* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: [[PapaWolf Giles is furious]] when Buffy is turned into a rat, and starts to say to Xander with genuine menace, "If anything happens to her I'll --" before realising he's talking to a 17 year-old boy guilty of mere stupidity, so Giles just tells him in disgust to go home.
114	* IResembleThatRemark:
115	-->'''Cordelia:''' ''Why'' has everyone gone insane?!
116	-->'''Xander:''' [stung] 'Insane'? Is it so impossible for you to believe that other women find me attractive?
117	-->'''Cordelia:''' The only way ''you'' could get girls to want you would be witchcraft.
118	-->'''Xander:''' THAT IS SUCH A-- well, yeah, okay, good point.
119	%%* JediMindTrick: Amy on her teacher.
120	* KickTheDog: Giles' books contain an anecdote about Angelus nailing a puppy to the wall on Valentine's Day. Buffy finds the story to be so shocking and horrible that she refuses to let Giles tell her any details, saying, "I don't have a puppy, I don't wanna know. So skip it!"
121	* LastSecondWordSwap: Xander attempts it with Willow:
122	-->'''Willow:''' I want you, Xander... to be my first.\
123	'''Xander:''' --Baseman! ''Please'' tell me we're talking about baseball!
124	* LaughOfLove: When Xander is walking down the school hallway after his love spell has inadvertently affected practically every female character in Sunnydale, the girls there are staring, {{sigh\|OfLove}}ing and giggling at him, while the guys are watching him enviously.
125	* LegFocus: The raincoat Buffy wears when trying to seduce Xander is so high cut that it exposes a great deal of her bare legs. The camera lingers on them to indicate that she's [[SexyCoatFlashing not wearing anything else under them]].
126	* LoveIsInTheAir: Xander briefly becomes very popular with the ladies. Turns out it isn't as much fun as it sounds.
127	* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Invoked by Giles: "Do you have any idea [[SeriousBusiness how serious this is]]? People under a love spell, Xander, are-are deadly! They lose all capacity for reason."
128	* LoveTriangle: Spike-Dru-Angelus.
129	* MagicMisfire: To put it mildly. It would appear that by using Cordelia's keepsake in the ritual, Amy mistakenly ''omitted'' her from the love curse. Contributing factors appear to be that Cordelia was already in love with Xander, and Xander's revenge motive interfered with the 'pure intent' required for a LoveSpell.
130	* MeaningfulEcho: Buffy fawns over Xander and coos: "It's funny how you can see someone every day but not really see them." Buffy and Xander start to lean in, but they're interrupted by Amy, who suggests they hang out after school. Xander's anxious to get back to Buffy, but when Amy starts to parrot Buffy's "not really seeing them" line, he does a DoubleTake. It soon dawns on Xander that something is rotten in the state of Sunnydale, especially when one of the Cordettes appears to be hitting on him.
131	* MinorFlawMajorBreakup: At the Bronze, Cordelia is sitting pensively by herself when Xander shows up. He gives her a rather impassioned speech about how he thinks their relationship might be more than just hormones. Cordy looks ill. Xander administers the ''coup de grâce'' by giving her a jewelry box. She opens it, and upon seeing the heart necklace, sincerely says that it's beautiful. She continues, "I wanna break up." Now ''that'' is brutal. Take notes, Angelus.
132	-->'''Xander:''' Do you know what's a good day to break up with somebody? '''''ANY DAY BESIDES VALENTINE'S DAY!!'''''
133	* MoodWhiplash: This episode started off all serious and dramatic with the threat of Angelus hovering above everyone's heads. And then Amy's spell backfired and Xander acquired an UnwantedHarem which seemed taken straight from a teen comedy. And then Willow and Joyce decided to kill Xander so he couldn't be with anyone else. The last part was a straight up witch hunt in which Xander and Cordy almost lost their life. Interspersed in between was Oz's hunt for mouse Buffy.
134	* MouseTrap: Rat!Buffy in peril...
135	* MrsRobinson: Xander and Cordelia are running in the streets, and take refuge in the Summers' home. A bewildered Joyce notices their bruises and tells Cordelia to go fetch some bandages from the bathroom (uh oh), but as soon as Cordy's gone, Joyce starts to put the moves on Xander too.
136	-->'''Joyce:''' Let me get you something to drink. Are you in the mood for cold or hot? [not waiting for Xander's response] I think it's more of a [[DoubleEntendre hot night]], don't you?
137	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Cordelia after she's taken the plunge and rejected the Cordettes for Xander.
138	* NakedFreakOut: Buffy when she reverts back from being a rat and realizes she's naked in the boiler room with Oz.
139	* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Buffy, gets turned into a rat. When she's turned back to human, she is (obviously) naked but retains her modesty with some conveniently placed furniture. Luckily for her, this happens in the presence of Oz, who is cool about it, because Oz ends up naked all the time anyway. Commented upon in various DVD commentaries.
140	-->'''Buffy''': I seem to be having a slight case of nudity here.
141	-->'''Oz''': But you're not a rat, so call it an upside.
142	-->'''Buffy''': I don't suppose you can get me some clothes?
143	-->'''Oz''': Yes, I can. Just don't go anywhere.
144	-->'''Buffy''': ''[looks down at herself]'' Really not an issue!
145	* 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.
146	* NightmareFetishist: Drusilla is more taken by the bloody and still-warm heart Angelus gives her than Spike's gold necklace.
147	* NoOntologicalInertia: Averted. Xander misuses a love spell; even after it's undone, the memory of it widens the growing rift between him and Willow (who had unresolved feelings for him already).
148	* NoTimeToExplain: "Xander, who died and made you Elvis?" He says he'll explain later, but they need to get to Buffy's house.
149	* NotDistractedByTheSexy: Not even the sight of a naked Buffy can break Oz's trademark stoicism.
150	* NotHerself: Buffy opines that what happened with Xander is Cordy's loss, and suggests that they hang out that evening and comfort each other. Xander jokingly asks if lap-dancing will be included. Buffy pauses a bit too long before responding with: "Play your cards right..."
151	* OutOfContextVillain: Oddly, Angelus is this for this episode, thanks to Xander's love spell gone awry. When he shows up to pull Xander out Buffy's window and throw him off the roof, it's wildly unexpected.
152	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: How badly did Xander screw up? This is one of the few times Giles is seen genuinely angry (he normally tolerates Xander's jokes and non-intellectuality, but here tells him to GTFO) and Oz punches him in the face (though he's mellow as per usual).
153	* PitySex: Angelus, noticing the necklace that Spike brought her, puts it around Dru's neck before Spike can object. As Spike sits in his wheelchair seething, Angelus quips that Dru only allows him "pity access."
154	* PreMortemOneLiner: Angelus appears to have some nasty evil planned for Xander, but is interrupted before he can carry it out.
155	-->'''Angelus:''' This is perfect! I wanted to do something for Buffy- well, actually ''to'' Buffy- but this is so much better! [leans in to bite] If it's any consolation, I feel ''very'' close to you right now.
156	* PureIsNotGood: Amy tells Xander his intention needs to be pure for the spell to work. Xander retorts that he intends revenge "pure as the driven snow."
157	* ReadyForLovemaking:
158	** Willow hides in Xander's bed, wearing one of his shirts. ''Only'' one of his shirts.
159	** Buffy is parading around in a raincoat and nothing else.
160	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E17Passion Passion]]" was originally in this episode's place, but the creators had to concoct something in a hurry to accommodate Creator/SarahMichelleGellar's absence for hosting ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''. Creator/JossWhedon claims, "We wrote it in a matter of days. We were like, 'We have to think of something that will turn Sarah into a rat for four days.'"
161	* RitualMagic: In the dead of night, Amy prepares the love spell inside the gym, Xander sits shirtless in the middle of a giant ♀ symbol, red markings on his chest and holding a candle. Amy recites an plea to Diana that Cordy be bent to Xander's will, culminating in her dropping Cordy's necklace into a beaker that's boiling over.
162	* RollingPinOfDoom: The basement door inevitably gives way. Willow and Joyce charge down the stairs, followed by a BrawnHilda cafeteria worker(!) brandishing a rolling pin.
163	* SadlyMythtaken: Invoking Diana "goddess of love and the hunt" for a spell meant to make someone fall in love, or at least lust, with someone else. While Diana was indeed a goddess of the hunt, she was not a love goddess and was famously virginal (one of the three virgin goddesses along with Minerva and Vesta) and [[DoesNotLikeMen not particularly fond of the male gender]]. Of course, this could be ''why'' the spell went so horribly wrong.
164	* {{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 heels and clearly [[GoingCommando nothing else]].
165	* SexyCoatFlashing: Buffy attempts to do this to Xander with a raincoat but he stops her.
166	-->'''Buffy:''' [to Xander] C'mon. It's a party. Aren't you gonna [[DoubleEntendre open your present]]?
167	* SexyShirtSwitch: A profoundly-puzzled Xander returns home, only to find Willow hiding under his sheets. She's wearing one of his plaid shirts, and [[GoingCommando nothing else]].
168	* SexyManInstantHarem: Happens to Xander thanks to Amy's Love Spell.
169	* SceneryCensor / ShouldersUpNudity: When she reverts back to human Buffy is naked but behind a pile of boxes, with only her bare shoulders indicating she's naked.
170	* ShapeshiftingExcludesClothing: When Amy turns Buffy into a rat she falls out of her clothes, and when the spell reverses she's not wearing anything.
171	* ShoutOut: An ''[[ComicBook/Marvel2099 X-Men 2099]]'' poster is seen on the wall next to Xander's bed above his nightstand. Creator/JossWhedon is an avowed ''ComicBook/XMen'' fan, citing Kitty Pryde as inspiration for the Buffy character, as well as writing a 24-issue run for ''Astonishing X-Men'' in 2008.
172	* SighOfLove: A lot of the female characters affected by Xander's backfired love spell sigh and giggle when they're around him, particularly in the scene when he is walking down the hallway.
173	* SomewhereAMammalogistIsCrying: A subtle one: Buffy transforms into a ''male'' rat. [[spoiler: The same goof occurs when Amy is turned into a rat later.]] While it was probably a goof, it could be looked at as Amy's spell-casting not going exactly right.
174	* StandardFemaleGrabArea: After Xander gets mocked for getting dumped and spots Amy in the hall, he grabs her by the arm and pulls her aside to blackmail her.
175	* TakeBackYourGift: In this case the giver demands the return of the gift.
176	* TeensAreMonsters: Xander decides to cast a love spell on Cordelia after walking down the hallway and getting nothing but cruel mockery from ''everyone'', including Harmony, in front of Cordelia.
177	* TemptingFate: Xander looks out the window in Buffy's room, notes that the mob hasn't found them yet, and opines that he and Cordy should be safer there. Out of nowhere, Angelus sticks his head through the window and quips, "[[WalkInChimeIn Works in theory.]]" He grabs Xander and yanks him out.
178	* TitledAfterTheSong: The title of the episode comes from the Music/FrankSinatra song "Bewitched". The second to last verse seems particularly appropriate to the Xander/Cordelia relationship seen in the episode: ''I lost my heart, but what of it? / He is cold I agree / She might laugh, but I love it / Although the laugh's on me.''
179	* TooDumbToFool: Xander invokes this regarding Cordelia.
180	-->'''Xander''': It's not my fault your hide's so thick, not even magic can penetrate it!
181	* TooKinkyToTorture: Xander recoils from Willow when she starts licking his earlobe, eventually pinning him against the door. For heaven's sake, Willow, listen to reason!
182	-->'''Xander:''' I-I don't wanna use force!
183	-->'''Willow''': [perks up] Force is okay!
184	* TorchesAndPitchforks: The mob of women after Xander.
185	* TheUnreveal: What nasty thing Angelus was planning for Buffy to commemorate Valentine's Day. Probably [[TooMuchInformation just as well]].
186	* UptownGirl: The romance between LovableAlphaBitch Cordelia and working-class nerd Xander.
187	* ValentinesDayEpisode: Angelus intends to use the holiday and his history with Buffy to inflict a good dose of MindRape on her, but Xander's problems ruin his plans.
188	* VerbalBackspace: When Cordelia walks in on Joyce nuzzling Xander, she wrestles Joyce outside and locks her out of her own house.
189	-->[turns lock] "Keep your mom-aged mitts off my boyfriend! '''Former'''!"
190	* 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 isn't seen for the rest of the episode.
191	* WalkingInRhythm: PlayedForLaughs. Once Xander realizes the love spell has gone haywire, we see his feet as he strides down the school hall to the Average White Band's [[BowChickaWowWow funky]] "Got the Love" -- as the camera pans up, we see he's in [[OhCrap a deer-in-the-headlights state of panic.]] All the girls are staring at him with varying degrees of lust, while the guys regard him jealously. There's no shortage of leers being directed at parts of his anatomy other than his face, and there's also plenty of open-mouthed staring and winking.
192	* WeirdnessCensor: When everyone wakes up confused in the basement clutching sharp objects, Cordelia pretends they were on a scavenger hunt.
193	-->'''Buffy:''' Scavenger hunt?
194	-->'''Xander:''' Well, your mom seemed to buy it.
195	-->'''Buffy:''' So she says. I think she's just so wigged at hitting on one of my friends that she's repressing. She's getting really good at that, actually. I should probably worry.
196	* WhatTheHellHero: Giles, once he figures out what's happening, is ''not'' happy with Xander. He can't even fully chew him out for his recklessness because Amy and Jenny keep clawing at him, and eventually just tells him to GetOut.
197	-->'''Giles''': ''[furious]'' I can't believe you'd be fool enough to do something like this!
198	-->'''Xander''': Oh no. I'm ''twice'' the fool it takes to do something like this.
199	* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Spike is quite annoyed that Angel won't hurry up and kill Buffy.
200	-->'''Spike:''' Why don't you rip her lungs out? Might make an impression.\
201	'''Angelus:''' ...[[ComplexityAddiction lacks poetry.]]\
202	'''Spike:''' Doesn't have to. What rhymes with "lungs"?
203	* WrittenInAbsence: Creator/SarahMichelleGellar was away on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' for part of this one, so they came up with the Buffy rat.
204	* {{Yandere}}: Anyone affected by love spells, according to Giles. He goes on to note that what they're feeling is "selfish, banal obsession" rather than love.

Context Recap / BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E16BewitchedBotheredAndBewildered