The episode was written by story editors Rob Des Hotel and Dean Batali, and directed by David Semel.
Buffy tries to maintain some semblance of a normal teenage social life by opting for a hot date instead of helping Giles protect Sunnydale from a violent vampire prophecy.
At the same time, in a bus on the way to Sunnydale, a man stands up and begins to lecture the other passengers on God's judgment, quoting prophecies.
Finally, Xander and Willow managed to get her to come to the funeral home by pretending to be a couple that wants to do something daring on a double date.
The next morning, Owen is excited about the thrill of the action, but Buffy turns him down, realizing that there is no way that she can have a relationship with him without putting him in danger.
But in his underground lair, the Master is overjoyed as he welcomes the real Anointed One—not Borba after all, but a young boy who was on the bus with him.
The review noted that the plot took a while to get started and the direction of the funeral home sequences made it fall short of its potential.
[5] DVD Talk's Philip Duncan identified "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" the "weakest" episode of those relating to the Master plotline in the season.
132 on their "Every Episode Ranked From Worst to Best" list, nothing the "challenge of Buffy balancing her life as a Slayer and her life as a teenage girl who wants to date will continue to play a greater role in the show, but its first exploration begins here," adding that "the chemistry between Sarah Michelle Gellar and Anthony Stewart Head absolutely shines.