Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Place Like Home

"No Place Like Home" is the fifth episode of season five of the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the eighty-third episode of the series overall. It was directed by David Solomon with a script written by Douglas Petrie. It first aired on the WB Network on October 17th, 2000.

Notes & Trivia

 * Buffy the Vampire Slayer was created by Joss Whedon.


 * "BTVS: No Place Like Home" redirects to this page.


 * This episode is production code number 5ABB05.


 * This episode is included on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fifth Season DVD collection, as well as the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Series collection and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Chosen Collection boxset collections.


 * There are a total of sixteen credited cast members in this episode. Six of them are female cast members and ten are male cast members.


 * Flashback scenes in this episode take place in the year 2000 in the Czech Republic.


 * This is the first appearance of Glorificus, or "Glory", as she comes to be known. She is an elder god-like being who serves as the "Big Bad" for season five.


 * Rupert Giles officially opens the Magic Box in this episode. Anya Jenkins comes to work for him.


 * This episode reveals that Dawn Summers is "The Key", which is an ancient construct given human form and inserted into the life of the Slayer and her family with manufactured memories. This explains why Dawn suddenly appeared as a member of the Summers family with no previous explanation or reference to her existence.

Allusions

 * The title of this episode is taken from the phrase "There's no place like home", which was famously spoken by actress Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale at the end of the 1939 MGM classic The Wizard of Oz. Coincidentally, there's also an episode of Angel that boasts a variation of this phrase called "There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb".


 * Glorificus makes reference to a tuffet in this episode. A tuffet is a small cloth-covered seat similar to an ottoman. It is most famously recognized as the thing a lady named Miss Muffet sat her ass on while eating curds and whey. Who the hell eats curds and whey? This notion was presented in the nursury rhyme "Little Miss Muffet". Glory has referred to Dawn Summers as Miss Muffet as well.


 * Dawn Summers makes reference to Iron Chef in this episode. Iron Chef is a Japanese cooking reality television series that is a competition based program involving cook-offs between rival chefs. The series was later adapted by an American television studio.


 * Buffy Summers makes reference to The Oprah Winfrey Show in this episode. This was a television talk show created by and hosted by Oprah Winfrey. It aired in first run syndication from 1986 to 2011.

Quotes

 * Glorificus: You know, when you think about it, I'm the victim here. First off, I don't even want to be here. And I'm not talking about this room or this city or this state or this planet. I'm talking about the whole mortal coil now, you know? It's disgusting! The food... the clothes... the people. I could crap a better existence than this.

....
 * Willow Rosenberg: [displaying an item she's just wrapped] Does this look right to you?
 * Anya Jenkins: Sure. If you wrapped it with your feet.

....
 * Rupert Giles: Xander? There's too many of them - people. A-A-And they all seem to want things.
 * Xander Harris: I hear ya. Stay British. You'll be okay.

....
 * Spike: Oh, yeah, okay. Let me guess - you won't kill me? Ooh. The whole crowd-pleasing threats and swagger routine. Outstandingly original. You know, I'm just passing through. Satisfied? You know, I really hope so, cuz God knows you need some satisfaction in life besides shagging Captain Cardboard. And-and I never really liked you anyway, and-and you have stupid hair.

....
 * Glorificus: Wait, I've always wanted to try this. You know that thing with worms, where if you have one, and you rip it in half, you get two worms? Do you think that'll work with you? (Buffy hits her) You hit me! What, are you crazy? You can't go around hitting people. What, were you born in a barn?