Encore Episode: Enemies with Hrishikesh Hirway | A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcast
June 19, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readWhen a Demon Just Wants to Sell a Book
In season three, episode seventeen of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a demon named Skylar (maybe) just wants to sell a book so he can buy a plane ticket. He lives in an efficiency apartment in a C-minus part of town. He is not a violent demon. He is, as guest Hrishikesh Hirway observes, "a simple guy trying to do his thing." Then Faith kills him. It is a rough scene, deliberately so—the audience needs to see where Faith is in her downward spiral. That moment, a demon who is just trying to make a living getting murdered for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, becomes a quiet anchor for an episode about betrayal, performance, and the question of whether anyone ever really had a chance.
The Mayor's Milk and the Ted Cruz of Sunnydale
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of Buffering the Vampire Slayer | A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcast
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Ad Break** - Progressive and Prime Video commercials
- 2 (01:25) **Intro & Community Fundraiser** - Hosts Jenny and Kristen introduce a re-air of their first guest episode with Hrishikesh Hirway and discuss a fundraiser for producer Latoya
- 3 (10:13) **Episode Setup & Guest Introduction** - The hosts welcome Hrishikesh Hirway (Song Exploder, West Wing Weekly) and set up "Enemies" (S3E17)
- 4 (16:40) **Angel's Dramatic Date & The Demon Skylar** - Discussion of Angel's ill-fated French movie date with Buffy and the introduction of a demon who just wants cash for a plane ticket
- 5 (23:29) **The Mayor's Paternalistic Evil** - Analysis of Mayor Wilkins as a satirical figure of authority, using sweet talk and gifts to manipulate Faith
- 6 (29:51) **Library Banter & Wesley/Cordelia Dynamic** - Giles eats a banana, Wesley arrives, and the hosts discuss the uncomfortable age/power dynamic between Wesley and Cordelia
- 7 (34:45) **Faith's Downward Spiral & The Demon Skylar** - Faith kills the demon Skylar, and the hosts analyze her tragic arc and the mayor's manipulation
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Our first ever hangout with Hrishikesh Hirway from back in 2018!! We've got erotic novels, warm milk left out on countertops, the birth of JENNY AND THE TWO PENNIES (!!), discussions on Angel's preferred candle scent, and so much more. A real humdinger of an episode.
This month we're sharing some of our favorite "special guest" episodes from the Buffering archives. This encore episode originally aired on February 7, 2018.
CELEBRATE 10 YEARS OF BUFFERING
Join us at Brooklyn's Littlefield for our first-ever Homecoming Weekend on October 16th & 17th.
Tickets are on sale now — all information: bufferingcast.com/live
READ (OR LISTEN TO!) SLAYERS, EVERY ONE OF US
bufferingcast.com/book
LOCATE YOUR HOSTS UPON THE INTERNET
Jenny Owen Youngs | @jennyowenyoungs; jennyowenyoungs.com
Kristin Russo | @kristinnoeline; kristinnoeline.com
Buffering: A Rewatch Adventure | @bufferingcast on socials
MUSIC | Theme song and jingles composed and performed by Jenny Owen Youngs | bufferingcast.com/music
PATREON | patreon.com/bufferingcast
MERCH | bufferingcast.com/shop
PODCAST SCHEDULE & EVENTS | More from this podcast