the Buffybot wasn't allowed to answer the phone because they believe Hank would be able to tell the difference - when the Scoobies could not.
I never put that togehter before! You're right -- the 'bot was supposedly good enough to fool them all, at least in their initial conversations, but they thought Hank would recognize something was hinky right off.
Though, to be fair, Buffybot's 'real world knowledge' about Buffy's friends and family never seemed to progress very far beyond the initial programming given her by Spike via Warren, and unless Spike and Joyce had talked about her ex-husband extensively during their occasional chats over a 'nice cuppa' (or however Spike phrased it), I doubt that Spike would've known anything about Buffy's relationship with Hank, so there'd be absolutely no database of the sort of childhood memories and shared family history that even an estranged father would expect to hear reflected in a rare conversation with his daughter. He might not leap to the immediate conclusion, "My elder daughter's been replaced by a robot!", but he'd be likely to think that Buffy was on drugs or mentally disturbed.
Buffy had a number for him in Spain. It's referenced in the 'Family' episode...
My recollection was that Buffy had called that number but was never able to reach him there (the notes on that episode at BuffyGuide.com say he hasn't been returning her calls, which -- if accurate -- is slightly different from my initial thought that the number she had might not have even been current, as well as from the idea that she'd been talking with him but wasn't getting much out of the experience), but I'd have to re-watch "Family" and at least the episodes surrounding Joyce's death in order to be sure.
I've seen all seven seasons over and over in re-runs, as well as in their first run and having them all on VHS and/or DVD, but I confess that I haven't actually sat down and re-watched season 5 in years, and my brain's not as young and retentive as it used to be!
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Date: 2010-06-18 03:13 pm (UTC)I never put that togehter before! You're right -- the 'bot was supposedly good enough to fool them all, at least in their initial conversations, but they thought Hank would recognize something was hinky right off.
Though, to be fair, Buffybot's 'real world knowledge' about Buffy's friends and family never seemed to progress very far beyond the initial programming given her by Spike via Warren, and unless Spike and Joyce had talked about her ex-husband extensively during their occasional chats over a 'nice cuppa' (or however Spike phrased it), I doubt that Spike would've known anything about Buffy's relationship with Hank, so there'd be absolutely no database of the sort of childhood memories and shared family history that even an estranged father would expect to hear reflected in a rare conversation with his daughter. He might not leap to the immediate conclusion, "My elder daughter's been replaced by a robot!", but he'd be likely to think that Buffy was on drugs or mentally disturbed.
Buffy had a number for him in Spain. It's referenced in the 'Family' episode...
My recollection was that Buffy had called that number but was never able to reach him there (the notes on that episode at BuffyGuide.com say he hasn't been returning her calls, which -- if accurate -- is slightly different from my initial thought that the number she had might not have even been current, as well as from the idea that she'd been talking with him but wasn't getting much out of the experience), but I'd have to re-watch "Family" and at least the episodes surrounding Joyce's death in order to be sure.
I've seen all seven seasons over and over in re-runs, as well as in their first run and having them all on VHS and/or DVD, but I confess that I haven't actually sat down and re-watched season 5 in years, and my brain's not as young and retentive as it used to be!