Normal Again 

After Buffy is stung by a demon, she begins to have vivid day-dreams about a mental asylum. She gradually begins to believe that she is a crazy girl back in L.A and that Sunnydale and all her friends are just a figment of her imagination.

Director:

Rick Rosenthal

Writers:

Joss Whedon (created by), Diego Gutierrez

Stars:

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Emma Caulfield Ford

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon	...	Xander Harris
Emma Caulfield Ford	...	Anya (as Emma Caulfield) (credit only)
Michelle Trachtenberg	...	Dawn Summers
James Marsters	...	Spike
Alyson Hannigan	...	Willow Rosenberg
Danny Strong	...	Jonathan Levinson
Adam Busch	...	Warren Mears
Tom Lenk	...	Andrew Wells
Dean Butler	...	Hank Summers
Michael Warren	...	Doctor
Kirsten Nelson	...	Lorraine Ross
Amber Benson	...	Tara Maclay
Kristine Sutherland	...	Joyce Summers
Sarah Scivier	...	Nurse

Storyline

After being poisoned by a demon, Buffy comes to believe that she is confined to a mental hospital, her mother is alive, her parents are still together, and that her life as a Slayer has all been an hallucination for the past six years. Deciding that she prefers this "normal" life with her parents, Buffy attempts to destroy the things that tether her to the "fantasy" life of the Slayer: her friends.

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Plot Keywords:

duct tape over mouth | duct tape | tape over mouth | gagged woman | tripping | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

In his DVD commentary, director Rick Rosenthal says that he was a little intimidated working with Sarah Michelle Gellar at first because she has the habit of jokingly saying to directors, "You're not the boss of me!" or "Don't tell me what to do!"

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Goofs

No psychiatrist would ever be allowed to speak to/about Buffy like her "fantasy" doctor did here, if they wanted to keep their license to practice.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Warren squirts a sleeping Jonathan with a water gun]
Andrew Wells: [laughing] Oh, man. Your face is priceless.
Jonathan Levinson: Yeah, real funny.
Warren Meers: And it serves you right for taking Z's on the lookout again.

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Connections

References Supergirl (1984)

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Soundtracks

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme
Performed by Nerf Herder

User Reviews

Weird

I actually love Season 6, but, I don't like this episode. The structure is too chaotic and disjointed. I find it completely ruins the flow and the episode hard to enjoy. I don't have a problem with abstract dream like episodes. The finale of season 4 was a great episode. I just don't like this one.

Details

Official Sites:

Hulu Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 March 2002 (USA)

Filming Locations:

1800 Stewart St., Santa Monica, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mutant Enemy, Kuzui Enterprises, Sandollar Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1