| "Tabula Rasa" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Air date | November 13th, 2001 |
| Writers | Rebecca Rand Kirshner |
| Director | David Grossman |
| Producers | Douglas Petrie; David Solomon; Gareth Davies; David Greenwalt; Jane Espenson; David Fury; Sandy Gallin; Gail Berman; Fran Rubel Kuzui; Kaz Kuzui; Joss Whedon; Marti Noxon; John F. Perry; Marc David Alpert |
| Starring | Sarah Michelle Gellar; Nicholas Brendon; Emma Caulfield; Michelle Trachtenberg; James Marsters; Alyson Hannigan |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "Once More, With Feeling" |
Next "Smashed" |
"Tabula Rasa" is the eighth episode of season six of the supernatural action series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the 108th episode of the series overall. It was directed by David Grossman with a script written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner. It first aired on UPN on Tuesday, November 13th, 2001. In this episode, the Scoobies are in a sad state of affairs, still reeling from recent revelations about Buffy's time being dead, as well as the sudden shock that Rupert Giles is leaving Sunnydale. Willow and Tara's relationship is on the skids, so Willo whips up a magic spell that she hopes will make everything better. In true Willowesque fashion however, this causes a number of problems, not the least of which involves everyone temporarily losing their memories.
Cast[]
Principal Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Sarah Michelle Gellar | Buffy Summers |
| Nicholas Brendon | Xander Harris |
| Emma Caulfield | Anya Jenkins |
| James Marsters | Spike |
| Alyson Hannigan | Willow Rosenberg |
Guest Stars[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Anthony Stewart Head | Rupert Giles |
| Raymond O'Connor | Teeth |
| Amber Benson | Tara Maclay |
Co-Stars[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Geordie White | Vamp #1 |
| Stephen Triplett | Vamp #2 |
| David Franco | Vamp #3 |
Crew[]
Notes & Trivia[]
Headhunter's Horror House Wiki has a collection of images related to Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tabula Rasa.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer was created by executive producer Joss Whedon. Joss first brought his idea to life with the 1992 film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which he later re-imagined as a television series.
- This episode is production code number 6ABB08.
- This episode is featured on disc two of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Sixth Season DVD collection. It is also included on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Series boxset collection and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Chosen Collection.
- Script writer Rebecca Sinclair is credited as Rebecca Rand Kirshner in this episode.
- This is the eleventh episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer directed by David Grossman. It is his third episode from season six. He previously directed "Bargaining (Part 2)". His next episode is "Bring on the Night".
- This is the fourth episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer written and/or co-written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner. It is her first episode from season six. Rebecca previously wrote "Tough Love". Her next episode is "Hell's Bells".
- The woman singing at The Bronze is Michelle Branch, who performs the song "Goodbye to You", which was the third and the final single from her second album, The Spirit Room, released in 2001.
Allusions[]
- A Tabula rasa is the belief that all individuals are born as a veritable blank slate, without any inherent instinctual traits or inherited mental content and that all knowledge is derived from personal experience. This is reflected in this episode by the characters losing their memories, but work in contrast to the notion of tabula rasa in that they still maintain learned characteristics, such as Willow's homosexuality, Buffy's fighting prowess and Spike's British accent.
- The idea of Rupert Giles leaving Sunnydale was previously hinted at in the musical episode, "Once More, With Feeling".
- A tongue-in-cheek reference to Angel is made in this episode. While Spike monologues about being a vampire who helps out the good guys, he is indirectly poking fun at this old frenemy.
- Spike also makes a comment about being a vampire with a soul, similar to Angel. This actually foreshadows events that will take place in the season finale, "Grave".
Monster count[]
- Vampires: 5; Spike, plus four vampire henchmen.
- Demons: 3; Anya Jenkins plus Teeth, the loan shark demon, and a skeletal beastie.
- Witches: 2; Willow Rosenberg; Tara Maclay
- Rabbits: Multiple; Summoned due to a botched spell.
Quotes[]
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See also[]
External Links[]
 Episodes
Bargaining (Part 1) • Bargaining (Part 2) • After Life • Flooded • Life Serial • All the Way • Once More With Feeling • Tabula Rasa • Smashed • Wrecked • Gone • Doublemeat Palace • Dead Things • Older and Far Away • As You Were • Hell's Bells • Normal Again • Entropy • Seeing Red • Villains Two to Go • Grave Main characters
Supporting characters
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