Dangerous games: This episode probably owes a debt of gratitude to the 1932 RKO movie The Most Dangerous Game, about a sadistic Count who hunts shipwrecked humans on his own personal Malayan island. The Count eventually met his match when pitted against a big game hunter. The movie was based on a well-known short story by Richard Connell, which has been filmed many times: most notably in 1946 (as A Game of Death), in 1951 (as The Black Castle), in 1954 (as The Black Forest), in 1956 (as Run for The Sun) and in 1961 (as Bloodlust). The 1932 movie, made by the same team that created King Kong, is by far the best and most popular version. (In the UK it was re-titled The Hounds of Zaroff).

A familiar face: Lyle Gorch was one of the vampire brothers that Buffy encountered in Bad Eggs.

Welcome in the new boys: After he was mentioned in many previous episodes, Homecoming is the first to actually feature the Mayor, Richard Wilkins III (Harry Groener). It also introduces Deputy Mayor Allan Finch (Jack Plotnick). Look out, too, for Jonathan (Danny Strong), the geek whose vote Cordelia has bought for six dollars ("That buys a whole lotta cupcakes!"). Jonathan has appeared regularly in Buffy (his debut was in Inca Mummy Girl). Keep an eye on him, because one day he�s going to be a superstar...