Sunnydale
Even though Buffy popularised Sunnydale Syndrome, similar phenomena have preceded it in other works of fiction.
In Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, people come up with explanations for the presence of large alien space ships and police boxes, rather than accept aliens exist. Used frequently is the idea of drugs causing hallucinations. Some characters, such as Donna Noble humorously completely fail to remember, having been "too drunk" or failed to see altogether, "scuba diving in Spain". The Doctor refers to the phenomenon in the stories Remembrance of the Daleks and "Boom Town" as a result of human beings' "amazing capacity for self-deception".
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy often features humans less than impressed when confronted with aliens and alien technology. Usually they do acknowledge the situation, but go to great lengths to treat it as normal even if a normal reaction is totally inappropriate. This feature of the sapient mind is used by a Somebody Else's Problem field.
In the roleplaying game Werewolf: the Apocalypse, humanity suffers from a condition called the Delirium, in which suppressed racial memories of werewolves cause them to either forget, rationalize away, or alter their memories of werewolf sightings and attacks. The werewolves refer to the limited protection this condition affords them as the Veil.
In the Harry Potter book series, regular humans (Muggles) tend to overlook magical things and occurrences by rationalising them to mean something else, usually when there is not already a spell in place to make them overlook it in the first place.
In the Discworld novels, the character of Death is usually perceived as something other than what he is. For example, in the novel Mort he was perceived as an undertaker. He explained that it wasn't magic, but that people chose to replace his image with something more preferable.
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Footnotes
- ^ Welcome to the Hellmouth (1.01) introduces the Hellmouth, which is referred to numerous times throughout the series. The entrance to the Hellmouth is seen under the school in The Zeppo, Doomed, Conversations with Dead People, and throughout the second half of season seven.
- ^ The "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign says 38,500 in two early episodes: School Hard (2.03) and Lovers Walk (3.08).
- ^ In Some Assembly Required (2.02), the three dead cheerleaders attended Fondren High, which is "across town" from Sunnydale High. In Reptile Boy (2.05), Kent Preparatory School is mentioned. In Dead Man's Party (3.02) Joyce mentions a local all-girls' school named Miss Porter's. Yet in most episodes "the high school" refers specifically to Sunnydale High.
- ^ Giles is surprised at this figure in What's My Line, Part Two (2.10).
- ^ Crestwood College is featured in Reptile Boy (2.05) but never mentioned again.
- ^ there are three visits to the zoo in The Pack (1.06), including a class trip and one trip by Buffy on foot.
- ^ The museum director who receives the box containing the demon Acathla in Becoming, Part One (2.21) refers to Giles as being "right here in Sunnydale".
- ^ According to Giles in Revelations (3.07).
- ^ Once More With Feeling (6.07).
- ^ Once More, With Feeling (6.07).
- ^ Help (7.04).
- ^ Buffy finds dead bodies in the train in Crush (5.14).
- ^ The bus station is shown in Inca Mummy Girl (2.04), What's My Line, Part One (2.09), and Showtime (7.11).
- ^ Kendra arrives by plane in What's My Line, Part One (2.09), and the airport itself is shown in Choices (3.19) and Who Are You (4.16) as well as Bargaining I (6.01). The airport shown in this episode is actually Burbank Airport with "Sunnydale" photoshopped over the word Burbank. In Tabula Rasa (6.08), Giles's ticket shows an itinerary from Sunnydale Airport to Los Angeles International Airport and then to London Heathrow Airport, which is the same route announced on the public address system as Giles awaits his flight in Bargaining, Part I (6.01).
- ^ In "Innocence" (2.14), Xander and Cordelia break into the base to steal a rocket launcher as part of his plan to destroy the Judge.
- ^ The "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign says 32,900 in Conversations with Dead People (7.07).
- ^ When Sunnydale is stricken by a town-wide epidemic -- such as the silence spell in Hush (4.10) -- no other towns seem to be nearby.
- ^ The woods in Homecoming (3.05) are named "Miller's Woods". In Bargaining, Part Two (6.02) and Villains (6.20) the woods are large enough to get lost in.
- ^ Giles visited there during Lovers Walk (3.08).
- ^ The port is seen in Surprise (2.13) and Consequences (3.15). In Consequences, Giles refers to Buffy and Faith's return from the docks as "coming back to town", indicating that the docks are not part of Sunnydale itself.
- ^ Kingman's Bluff is the location of Willow's terrible spell (Grave, 6.22).
- ^ It is not specified how close this beach is to Sunnydale. It is seen in Go Fish (2.20) and Buffy vs. Dracula (5.01).
- ^ Although the quarry house never appears in any episodes, it does make an appearance in the comic book series The Blood of Carthage, which explains the house's Pre-Columbian origins. The house and its also appear in the Chaos Bleeds video game.
- ^ In As You Were (6.15), Buffy, Riley and Riley's wife, Sam, fight a Suvolte demon on a dam. Presumably the dam is either in or near Sunnydale, as Riley and Buffy drive a short distance to reach it.
- ^ Giles drives Buffy to the desert in Intervention (5.18), and drives with the Potentials to the desert in The Killer in Me (7.13).
- ^ At the end of Chosen (7.22) the town has sunk into a large pit, and the pit is completely surrounded by desert. It is shown this way in the comic book Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight # 1, "The Long Way Home", pages 14-15.
- ^ It was in the principal's office in Dead Man's Party (3.02), and in the mayor's office in various third-season episodes. The best view of the map is in Choices (3.19). Compare this with the map of Santa Barbara County at http://www.countyofsb.org/stats.asp.
- ^ Joss Whedon post on The Bronze posting board, November 22, 1998, archived here.
- ^ Doomed (4.11)
- ^ Once early in the season, and again in Touched (7.20).
- ^ Shown in Get it Done (7.15).
- ^ End of Days (7.21).
- ^ Navajo (Diné) people are mentioned in "The Glittering World" in Tales of the Slayers. Chumash are mentioned in Pangs (4.08). One group of monks were mentioned by the ancient guardian in End of Days (7.21); a possibly different group in Pangs (4.08).
- ^ Spike and Andrew journey to a different mission in Empty Places (7.19).
- ^ Pangs (4.08).
- ^ "The Glittering World", in Tales of the Slayers.
- ^ Enemies (3.17).
- ^ In The Harvest (1.02), Willow refers to an earthquake in 1937 which "swallowed half the town", including the Master's lair. In Grave (6.22), Anya says that the temple on Kingman's Bluff was "swallowed up in the big earthquake of '32". It is possible they are referring to two different earthquakes, but it is also possible that one of them is simply misstating the date.
- ^ Enemies (3.17). A sign saying "Reelect Mayor Wilkins" is visible; since no election is currently being held, this indicates a past re-election bid.
- ^ It can be seen in Never Kill a Boy on the First Date, Reptile Boy, Becoming, Part One, Bad Girls, Consequences, Graduation Day, Part One, Hush, and Once More, With Feeling.
- ^ In Lovers Walk (3.08), Wilkins refers to having covered up Spike and Drusilla's rampages during season two. Snyder and the police chief discuss these coverups in I Only Have Eyes For You (2.19). Wilkins and Snyder discuss it in Graduation Day, Part 1 (3.21).
- ^ The sign reads "Downtowner Motel/Apt." in The Zeppo (3.12) and others.
- ^ In Once More With Feeling (6.07), the headline of the Sunnydale Press states, "MAYHEM CAUSED. MONSTERS CERTAINLY NOT INVOLVED, OFFICIALS SAY."
- ^ The Real Me (5.02), which has been seen multiple times previously -- for example, in Lovers Walk (3.08), at which time it is called Uncle Bob's Magic Cabinet.
- ^ Joyce's will would have either left the house to Buffy or to Buffy and Dawn. In Empty Places (7.19), Dawn tells Buffy "this is my house, too."
- ^ For example, the Sunnydale Press mentions "monsters" in its headline in Once More With Feeling (6.07).
- ^ The "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign lists a population 38,500 in several early episodes, including School Hard (2.03) and Lovers Walk (3.08). In Conversations with Dead People, meanwhile, it gives a population of 32,900 (7.07). The sign is visible for a moment at the end of Chosen (7.22) but the population figure is not legible.
- ^ The evacuation is seen at the beginning of Empty Places (7.19), although the Bronze is still crowded. By the next episode, Touched (7.20), the town is virtually empty.
- ^ Chosen (7.22).
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