Entertainment
Perfect Buffy Episode Secretly Channels Greatest Movie Of All Time
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Normally, The Godfather is the last movie you’d associate with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After all, the former is the greatest mafia film ever made, and the latter is a show about plucky teenagers fighting demons. As it turns out, though, one perfect episode of Buffy managed to honor The Godfather in a powerful way.
In the episode “Passion,” there is a fairly innocuous scene where a newly evil Angel harasses Joyce Summers, causing her to drop some oranges. Shortly after, Angel murders the Sunnydale High computer science teacher in a brutal attack. These may not seem like related events, but the whole thing is secretly an homage to The Godfather’s “orange motif,” which went on to inspire decades of groundbreaking cinema!
The Not-So-Annoying Orange
What the heck is the orange motif, you ask? If you go back and rewatch The Godfather, you’ll notice there are oranges in so many very important scenes. At first glance, they don’t seem to have much special significance, and you might be forgiven for thinking that director Francis Ford Coppola just has a thing for oranges.
However, what’s important is when the oranges appear: namely, they appear shortly before a character is killed. For example, Vito Corleone is killed, it is while he’s peeling oranges. When the titular Godfather is shot, he is buying oranges, which dramatically scatter on the ground. When the Five Families meet, you can see oranges near the Mafia leaders that would soon be killed.
Because The Godfather was so influential, “the orange motif” (as this phenomenon was eventually called after it was used in the subsequent Godfather films) started popping up in other movies, including Point Break, American Beauty, and Requiem for a Dream. Fittingly enough, the orange motif also popped up in The Sopranos, where we see Tony Soprano buy some orange juice shortly before someone tries to whack him. Before that, though, Joss Whedon hid an orange motif reference in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Orange You Glad To See Him?
In “Passion,” Angel (who has recently lost his soul and become evil) harasses Joyce Summers outside of her own home, causing her to drop some oranges. While Joyce herself doesn’t die, those dropped oranges and the presence of the show’s scariest vampire foreshadow a major death right around the corner. Soon afterward, Angel kills Jenny Calendar, a beloved character whose death sends a chilling message to viewers: none of your favorites are guaranteed to make it out of Season 2 alive.
In retrospect, it’s not really all that shocking that Buffy the Vampire Slayer hid such a powerful reference to The Godfather in plain sight. After all, the show is filled with references to countless other movies and shows, mostly courtesy of quip-heavy characters like Buffy and Xander. Given how much of a film buff showrunner Joss Whedon and the rest of his team were, it’s not that surprising they wanted to homage one of the greatest movies of all time.
But is the orange motif from The Godfather the greatest cinematic trope of all time? It’s certainly one of the most prolific. As for me, I don’t really like this Godfather reference as much as some Buffy fans turned cinephiles. Why? Because, in the immortal words of Peter Griffin, it insists upon itself!
Entertainment
Get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 from T-Mobile without trading in your old phone
FREE SAMSUNG GALAXY S26: Sign up for a T-Mobile Experience Beyond plan for 24 months and get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB) which ordinarily costs $899.99. Existing T-Mobile Go5G Plus members also qualify for the deal.
It’s tough to find a free deal these days. We usually have a massive amount of fine text to read, but T-Mobile is making this deal pretty simple. Sign up for two years of coverage (which you probably needed anyway) and get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB). Here’s how to qualify.
To get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB) instead of paying the list price of $899.99, sign on for 24 months of a T-Mobile Experience or Better Value plan. You’ll save the $900 over the next 24 months of bill credit at T-Mobile. No trade in is required to cash in on this deal.
Announced in February, the Samsung Galaxy S26 is the latest model from the major iPhone competitor. It comes with added features like better AI capabilities and a 50 megapixel camera. Samsung also mentions improvements in display clarity with the new S26, giving off better colors and sharper details.
If you’re one for selfies, the Samsung Galaxy S26 could be a great option. Samsung designed the front-facing camera to have a wider view, making it easier to capture selfies with the group.
Mashable Deals
If you’re going with T-Mobile coverage, it’s well worth hopping on this free Samsung Galaxy S26 deal. The cell phone bill was inevitable so you might as well snag a free upgraded phone in the process.
Entertainment
Buy a $300 Delta gift card and get a free $20 Starbucks gift card
BUY A DELTA GIFT CARD FOR $300+ AND GET A FREE STARBUCKS GIFT CARD: Through May 11, buy a Delta gift card for $300 or more and get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card.
Credit: Delta / Starbucks
The price of flying these days is shocking. If you plan on traveling soon on a route served by Delta, it’s well worth checking out this deal to get something for free. It’ll help ease the pain of the ticket price.
Through May 11, purchase a Delta gift card worth $300 or more and get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card. It’s as simple as that. You can also qualify for the deal by buying multiple gift cards that total at least $300. The deal with apply automatically and you’ll receive a separate email containing the free Starbucks card.
Booking flights these days is not much fun. Prices are ahh…. abnormal, but Delta has eased the pain a bit thanks to this deal. The carrier is positioning this free Starbucks gift card deal as a good option for Mother’s Day, but realistically, it’s useful for anyone who plans to book with Delta soon.
Keep in mind the Delta gift card and Starbucks card will never expire. Delta mentions this offer is valid until May 11 at 11:59 p.m. ET or for the first 11,000 purchasers, whichever comes first. That means it might be smart to hop on this deal soon since there’s no way to know if it’ll last until May 11.
Mashable Deals
If you plan on flying soon or want to gift a special someone a Delta gift card worth $300 or more, snag this deal to get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card. It’s a win-win situation for those who plan to fly with Delta.
Entertainment
Snag a pair of Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $50 off
SAVE $50: As of May 6, get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) for $399 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $449. That’s a discount of 11%.
$399
at Amazon
$449
Save $50
If you want to experience your favorite music to the fullest, you need headphones that are up to the task. Bose can typically be counted on to provide that kind of quality, especially with its QuietComfort lineup. You can try its newest model for less right now for less thanks to this Amazon deal, which heavily discounts the cans so you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on them.
As of May 6, get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) for $399 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $449. That’s $50 off and a discount of 11%.
Though an incremental upgrade from the previous QuietComfort model, these have some new features you’ll want to try out. But mostly, these comfortable headphones are all about feeling great on your ears and sounding fantastic. They offer noise cancellation and spatialized audio so it sounds as though you’re right where the music is. The new Cinema Mode can help to spatialize and balance background and sound and sound effects when watching movies to help put you right into the film as well.
Beyond that they can be used to take calls with their built-in microphones. They’ll last a long time while you’re on the phone too, with 30 hours of play time when listening to songs, podcasts, or taking meetings.
Mashable Deals
Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard took the headphones for a spin in her review and and called them a “well-rounded pair of headphones”, praising their blend of “comfort, noise cancellation, and sound”.
If you’re ready to pick up a new pair of headphones at a discount that’ll tick all the boxes for you, grab these before the discount disappears.
Get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 from T-Mobile without trading in your old phone
Buy a $300 Delta gift card and get a free $20 Starbucks gift card
