Principal Snyder
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 Armin Shimerman as Principal Snyder |
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Principal Snyder is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, played by Armin Shimerman.
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[edit] Summary
After Robert Flutie is eaten alive by "the Pack" (sans Xander), Snyder replaces him as the principal of Sunnydale High. A strict disciplinarian with a dictator-like personality, he makes no friends among the Scooby Gang, or any other student for that matter, with the sole exception being the Swim Team. Snyder strongly dislikes Buffy and seeks any excuse to expel her. He coerces students into serving as chaperones for young children on Halloween, bullies Willow into tutoring Percy, gives a passing grade to a swim team member who is failing computer class, and forces everyone to sell candy for the marching band.
Snyder, along with Police Chief Bob Munroe, turns out to be one of the many people Mayor Richard Wilkins had put in place to cover up supernatural activities in Sunnydale ("School Hard", "I Only Have Eyes For You") -- a troubling sign for the Californian town. According to the latter episode, Snyder was specifically chosen as principal because the authorities believed he was uniquely suited for the job's equally unique pressures, but precisely what in Snyder's past might have so qualified him was never discussed.
Snyder finally expels Buffy when she is found beside Kendra's body in the season two finale. He refuses to allow her to return even after Buffy is cleared of all charges, a refusal that gives him "tingling" pleasure. However, the school board and some physical pressure from Rupert Giles force him to change his mind. Since the school board later involves Snyder in Mayor Wilkins' sacrifice to the demon Lurconis, its members are also clearly aware of at least some of the goings-on in Sunnydale.
His stern belief in imposing order and discipline proves to be his undoing, as Snyder is swallowed whole in the season three finale, "Graduation Day". Before being eaten, he had loudly scolded Mayor Wilkins for turning into the gigantic, snakelike demon Olvikan following his keynote speech at the 1999 high school graduation.
Snyder makes one more appearance in the role of Colonel Kurtz in Xander's Apocalypse Now-themed dream in the season four finale "Restless".
[edit] Quotes
- "A lot of educators tell students, 'Think of your principal as your pal'. I say 'Think of me as your judge, jury and executioner'." ("School Hard")
- "Why couldn't you have been dealing drugs like normal people?!?" ("Choices")
- "One day the campus is completely bare and empty. The next, there are children everywhere. Like locusts. Crawling around, mindlessly bent on feeding and mating. Destroying everything in sight in their relentless, pointless desire to exist." ("When She Was Bad")
- "I know Principal Flutie would have said, 'Kids need understanding. Kids are human beings.' That's that kind of woolly-headed liberal thinking that leads to being eaten." ("The Puppet Show")
- "I walked by your guidance counselor's office one time. A bunch of you were sitting there, waiting to be shepherded. I remember it smelled like dead flowers. Like decay. Then it hit me. The hope of our nation's future is a bunch of mulch." ("Restless")
- (woman on intercom)" Principle Snyder, Billy Crandall chained himself to the snack machine again." (Snyder) "Pathetic little low life vegan" ("I Only Have Eyes For You")_
- "There are things I will not tolerate: students loitering on campus after school, horrible murders with hearts being removed... and also smoking." ("The Puppet Show")
[edit] Writing and acting
- Principal Snyder is named in honour of George Snyder, Joss Whedon's personal assistant at the time.
- Shimerman originally auditioned for the role of Flutie, but lost that role to Ken Lerner.[1]
- On several occasions in the series, you can clearly see on the name-tag on his desk that the first letter of his first name is 'R', although his full name is never revealed in the series.
[edit] Appearances
[edit] Canonical Appearances
Principal Snyder has appeared in 19 canonical Buffyverse episodes:
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Snyder has appeared in 19 Buffy episodes as a guest
- Season 1 (1997) - "The Puppet Show", "Out of Mind, Out of Sight".
- Season 2 (1997, 1998) - "When She Was Bad"; "School Hard"; "Halloween"; "What's My Line, Part One"; "I Only Have Eyes For You"; "Go Fish"; "Becoming, Part One"; "Becoming, Part Two".
- Season 3 (1998, 1999) - "Dead Man's Party"; "Faith, Hope & Trick"; "Band Candy"; "Gingerbread"; "Doppelgangland"; "Choices"; "Graduation Day, Part One"; "Graduation Day, Part Two"
- Season 4 (1999, 2000) - "Restless"
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Sprinder, Matt & Stokes, Mike, "Head of the Class", from Buffy the Vampire Slayer magazine #12 (UK, September 2000), page 18.
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