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One of the things that makes Buffy special in my eyes is the show's ability to make fun of itself. I always thought it was rather brave for the show to admit it had its bad moments, and one of the best examples of this would be running jokes, which are hilarious yet easy to spot. Most of the time they follow a formula:
1. There is a recurring event in the course of an arc or in the early seasons that occurs many times, and each time we see it, it's treated as a serious plot event.
2. Later, the characters (and the audience) share major yuks at these instances of bad writing (or in their eyes, funny coincidence).
Some of my favorites are:
Giles getting knocked out - From Witch through Prophecy Girl to Revelations, he always seems to be getting hit in the head and knocked unconscious. Then in Buffy vs Dracula, he gets to share a snarky comment in Dracula's pit of concubines about how at least he didn't get knocked out.
Xander having all the very humiliating supernatural things happen to him - Teacher's Pet, BB&B, the "funny syphilis," having to eat bugs for Dracula - and finally saying "I'm sick of being everybody's butt monkey!", after which he's immediately made fun of by Buffy and two episodes later has to do more embarrassing things to prove he's himself. Then in Get It Done we look back on this with nostalgia... "Every time instructions get cryptic, someone gets hurt - usually me."
Dawn getting kidnapped - Harmony, Glory, Justin (in a way), and finally when she's taken by Sweet, Buffy's had enough: "Dawn's in trouble. Must be Tuesday." (And that wasn't arbitrary either; a little fourth-wall reference to how the show aired on Tuesdays.)
What are your favorite running jokes of the series? What else have you spotted over the years of the gang making fun of their past adventures?
1. There is a recurring event in the course of an arc or in the early seasons that occurs many times, and each time we see it, it's treated as a serious plot event.
2. Later, the characters (and the audience) share major yuks at these instances of bad writing (or in their eyes, funny coincidence).
Some of my favorites are:
Giles getting knocked out - From Witch through Prophecy Girl to Revelations, he always seems to be getting hit in the head and knocked unconscious. Then in Buffy vs Dracula, he gets to share a snarky comment in Dracula's pit of concubines about how at least he didn't get knocked out.
Xander having all the very humiliating supernatural things happen to him - Teacher's Pet, BB&B, the "funny syphilis," having to eat bugs for Dracula - and finally saying "I'm sick of being everybody's butt monkey!", after which he's immediately made fun of by Buffy and two episodes later has to do more embarrassing things to prove he's himself. Then in Get It Done we look back on this with nostalgia... "Every time instructions get cryptic, someone gets hurt - usually me."
Dawn getting kidnapped - Harmony, Glory, Justin (in a way), and finally when she's taken by Sweet, Buffy's had enough: "Dawn's in trouble. Must be Tuesday." (And that wasn't arbitrary either; a little fourth-wall reference to how the show aired on Tuesdays.)
What are your favorite running jokes of the series? What else have you spotted over the years of the gang making fun of their past adventures?
Meanwhile her birthmark is totally not covered up and her profile is to the camera...THAT was great! 
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