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Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Plot

A wildly influential cult hit that escaped the shadow of an unsuccessful film incarnation, helped establish the teen-centric WB network, and spawned a long-running spin-off, Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran for 144 episodes between March 1997 and May 2003. Approached by Fox television executives about the possibility of a series, Joss Whedon, screenwriter of the original 1992 film, saw the chance to revisit a concept he thought had been mishandled. Refashioning the jokey film back into a mixture of drama, comedy, romance, action, and horror, Whedon and his Mutant Enemy production company found a home for their show at the nascent WB. Originally airing Monday nights and then moving, with much fanfare, to Tuesdays during its second season, Buffy the Vampire Slayer quickly became a hit -- at least by the standards of its demographically targeted network. Ratings peaked in the second and third seasons, but Buffy maintained its status as critics' darling throughout its run. By the time the show moved to the UPN network for its final two seasons, it was selling like hotcakes on DVD and airing in syndicated two-hour blocks on the FX cable channel.

Plot-wise, Buffy centered on the exploits of its titular vampire slayer, a mystical "Chosen One" who found herself living in Sunnydale, CA, an idyllic small town situated atop the mouth to hell. Plucked from a vapid life of cheerleading and parties and forced by her mystic destiny to slay vampires and vanquish demons, Buffy initially viewed her superpowers as an imposition. By the end of the series, however, she had embraced her role as steely general in a never-ending war against the forces of darkness. Joined by an ever-changing array of allies known collectively as the "Scooby gang," she spent three years learning that high school is literally hell before navigating college and grown-up responsibilities in the later seasons. As the show's tangled mythology grew, Buffy's friends began to acquire magical abilities of their own -- all the better to fight each season's "Big Bad" villain. Science fiction and horror fans loved the show for its tight continuity and sustained world-building. As numerous fans and critics have pointed out, however, the supernatural trappings functioned on a deeper, metaphorical level: they mirrored the complexities of growing up, going out into the world, and accepting one's destiny.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, a former All My Children star with a daytime Emmy to her name, became a postfeminist icon on the basis of her work as Buffy Summers and her appearances in such teen horror flicks as Scream 2 and I Know What You Did Last Summer. It was Gellar's decision not to renew her contract after the seventh season that proved to be the stake in the show's heart. Thanks to Buffy and the American Pie films, co-star Alyson Hannigan, too, became a breakout star. Both actresses remained with the series for its entire run, unlike Seth Green, who served less than three seasons before movie stardom -- most notably the Austin Powers franchise -- lured him away. As for the rest of the large and ever-changing cast, few became household names despite their wealth of TV, film, and stage experience. But David Boreanaz, who portrayed Buffy's vampiric love interest in the first three seasons, soon found himself helming the spin-off Angel with co-star Charisma Carpenter along for the ride. Angel never captured the zeitgeist in the same way that its parent show had, but it did maintain a devoted cult following through five seasons on the WB before facing cancellation a year after Buffy ended. Before the final episode of Angel even aired, rumors circulated on the Internet about future spin-offs, TV movies, and the possible launch of an animated Buffy series. Only time will tell whether the "Buffyverse" achieves the same longevity as, say, Star Trek, but the ongoing wealth of spin-off novels, comic books, and other merchandise make it seem like a pretty good bet. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Credit

Nerf Herder - Songwriter, Optic Nerve - Makeup Special Effects, Joss Whedon - Show Creator

Episodes

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 01 (1997)
A mid-season replacement in early 1997, Buffy the Vampire Slayer quickly established an identity separate from the jokey 1992 feature film that spawned it. An unlikely mixture of action, drama, horror, and comedy, the 12-episode first season effectively cross-pollinated The X-Files, Beverly Hills 90210, and Dark Shadows to become a sleeper hit for the fledgling WB network. Series creator Joss Whedon and his writers set out to literalize the idea that high school is hell, examining teenaged angst and sexual awakening through the lens of supernatural metaphor. The two-part opener established Sunnydale, CA, as an otherwise idyllic small town situated atop the mouth to hell. Witches, demonic hyenas, a sexy praying mantis, and, of course, vampires stalked the streets outside Sunnydale High, their various evils reflecting the raging hormones and social Darwinism within. With the show's edgy take on high-school life driving the wildly varying plot lines, a tightly knit ensemble quickly took shape. Former soap star Sarah Michelle Gellar played Buffy Summers as a reluctant hero, desperately clinging to shopping, cheerleading, and girliness to escape her calling as the mystically empowered Chosen One. Alyson Hannigan, as the geeky Willow Rosenberg, and Nicholas Brendon, as the Slayer-smitten Xander Harris, quickly became Buffy's sidekicks as well as her closest confidantes. They would remain the core of Buffy's "Scooby Gang" for the show's entire run. Charisma Carpenter, as icy teen queen Cordelia Chase, provided not only caustic humor but also a glimpse of the Buffy who might have been, if responsibility hadn't been thrust upon her. And veteran British actor Anthony Stewart Head played the role of fusty mentor Rupert Giles with a mixture of comic bumbling and fatherly wisdom. Although they would never become series regulars, frequent guest stars Kristine Sutherland, as Buffy's long-suffering mom, and Armin Shimerman, as the ineptly Napoleonic Principal Snyder, provided the typical teen pressures that would complicate Buffy's secret identity for the first three seasons. Meanwhile, sexual tension and a dark link between Buffy and arch-nemesis The Master (Mark Metcalf) arrived in the form of enigmatic dreamboat Angel (David Boreanaz). By the end of the season -- when a recently drowned Buffy sprang back to life to face down The Master and attend a sock hop -- the show's organic mixture of disparate genres was a fait accompli. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 02 (1997)
By the time its abbreviated first season ran its course, Buffy the Vampire Slayer had captured the zeitgeist despite its modest ratings. With a fully formed aesthetic and a small but demographically admirable audience, the show entered what many fans and critics consider its golden age. On the villain front, hell-raising vampires Spike (James Marsters) and Drusilla (Juliet Landau) arrived to shake Sunnydale up. Their twisted, Sid and Nancy-esque devotion to one another added depth and nuance to the show's moral compass. It also provided counterpoint to the fever-pitch romance between Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and tormented vampire Angel (David Boreanaz). Watcher Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), too, found love, in the arms of cyber-pagan Jenny Calendar (Robia La Morte), while Willow (Alyson Hannigan) began dating laconic, guitar-playing werewolf Oz (Seth Green). As for nice-guy Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and haughty beauty Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), they ended up, against all odds, in one another's arms. While the profusion of often star-crossed romance drove the show's emotional dynamics, it also supplied sudden shifts of allegiance and the death of a major character. In the two-parter "Surprise" and "Innocence" (aired on consecutive nights as a promotional stunt marking the show's move from Mondays to Tuesdays), Buffy and Angel finally consummated their love -- with unexpectedly disastrous results. A pesky gypsy curse and a moment of true happiness were all it took to turn Angel back into a killing machine. As the actors played out momentous story lines in a keener emotional register, new depths were revealed behind the scenes as well. Future show-runner Marti Noxon joined the writing staff and quickly became a key player, while series creator Joss Whedon wrote and directed several landmark episodes. Continuity buffs relished the revelation that Buffy's momentary death the previous season had triggered the emergence of another slayer. The brief but memorable career of Kendra the Vampire Slayer (Bianca Lawson) underscored the constant danger of Buffy's calling. Ultimately, though, it was the Slayer's lover-turned-nemesis whose seeming demise brought the season to a shattering close. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 03 (1998)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer's first two seasons had established the modus operandi of unveiling a new villain and fresh overriding concept as each season began. The Slayer's senior year at Sunnydale High was no different; themes of power, corruption, and betrayal were encapsulated in the introduction of two new characters. Scheming to achieve supernatural transcendence atop the Hellmouth, crooked Mayor Richard Wilkins III (Harry Groener) served as the season's cuddly but creepy "big bad." But it was Faith (Eliza Dushku), Buffy's new fellow slayer and eventual dark foil, whose descent into sadistic villainy packed the bigger emotional wallop. Of course, as the season began, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was still smarting from the last time a trusted ally had turned on her. But the mysterious return of Angel (David Boreanaz) from the hell to which Buffy had dispatched him caused as many problems as it solved. (Eventually, as the season ended, Angel would leave Sunnydale for the larger horizons of Los Angeles in an eponymous spin-off that lasted five seasons.) As for the other characters, romantic entanglements continued between Willow (Alyson Hannigan), Xander (Nicholas Brendon), Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), and Oz (Seth Green). Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) and Buffy's mother (Kristine Sutherland) even enjoyed a brief dalliance while under the influence of an enchantment. Fledgling witch Willow continued to hone her own magical talents. Xander lost his virginity -- and nearly his life -- to Faith. Stuffy new arrival Wesley Wyndam-Price (Alexis Denisof) usurped Giles' role as Watcher, allowing Buffy's mentor to exhibit a newfound suaveness and cynicism. And longtime bit player Jonathan (Danny Strong) took center stage in the controversial episode titled "Earshot." Penned by new staff writer Jane Espenson, whose gift for comedy had already made a big impact with fans, the otherwise humorous episode marked one of the first times a gun had figured prominently in a Buffy plot. In deference to the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, CO, the WB delayed airing "Earshot" -- and the violent season finale -- until months after they were originally scheduled. Nevertheless, the third season's final arc effectively brought the show's long-running high-school-is-hell conceit to its logical conclusion. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 04 (1999)
As Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her friends began the transition from high school to young adulthood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer went through a number of changes itself. New cast members, a new spin-off, and a new setting characterized a season that many fans and critics saw as a partially successful experiment. Experimentation was something of a theme for the season -- the experimentation of young adulthood and the experiments of a group of sinister government scientists known as The Initiative. Their shadowy military operations providing new elements of X-Files-like science fiction, The Iniative also managed to unleash Adam (George Hertzberg), the season's Frankenstein-like über-villain. As for the characters' personal lives, Buffy and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) enrolled at the fictional UC Sunnydale, whose campus became the locus of the action. Xander (Nicholas Brendon) began his aimless swim though the minimum-wage end of the labor pool, while ex-Watcher Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) faced an impending midlife crisis. The doomed love affair between Buffy and Angel had run its course, allowing David Boreanaz to launch his own show, Angel, with former series regular Charisma Carpenter in tow. When actor Seth Green asked to be released from his contract to pursue movie stardom, Oz, too, disappeared from the Scooby Gang.

These departures left room in the cast for new love interests and new comic relief. Emma Caulfield supplied both as Xander's girlfriend Anya, a vengeance demon reincarnated as a teenaged girl, who struggled to make sense of human customs and vulnerabilities. Amber Benson soon showed up as Willow's new partner-in-Wicca, then as her new partner, period. Though the WB nixed any explicit lesbian content, Willow and Tara's mutual exploration of the supernatural provided ample opportunity for metaphor. By the time Willow was ready to come out to her friends, the show was earning high praise from gay-rights groups. Buffy, too, found new love in the arms of Riley (Marc Blucas), her corn-fed new super-soldier boyfriend. The final cast addition was a blast from the past: second-season veteran James Marsters. Spike, the actor's hell-raising vampire villain, became more of a wacky neighbor than a threat once The Initiative's mad scientists put a chip in his head to keep him from killing humans. Other return appearances included renegade slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku) in one of several crossovers with the first season of Angel. As usual, series creator Joss Whedon stepped in to write and direct several episodes. "Hush" used the techniques of silent film to unleash primal horror on the Slayer and her friends, while season closer "Restless" consisted almost entirely of dream sequences. These formal exercises earned Whedon tremendous critical acclaim -- and, in the case of "Hush," an Emmy nomination -- and cemented the season's experimental tone. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 05 (2000)
After a comic go-around with the original vampire playboy in season opener "Buffy vs. Dracula," Buffy the Vampire Slayer's fifth season quickly established its overriding theme: the importance of family, both biological and adoptive. Kristine Sutherland -- mostly absent from season four -- returned as Joyce Summers, Buffy's mother. More importantly, series creator Joss Whedon surprised viewers with the introduction of the Slayer's teenaged sister, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg). Neither a long-lost sibling nor a recent adoptee, Dawn was simply dropped into the mix as if she'd always been there. As the season progressed, though, she was revealed to be The Key, an ancient force that monks had incarnated into human form, with fake memories created for everybody. The reason? So that Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) would protect it from Glory (Clare Kramer), a deposed god who needed it to get back to her own hellish dimension. Rather than the usual picturesque "big bad," Glory appeared to be a well-heeled beauty, albeit one with super strength and a propensity for snacking on people's sanity. As the hellgod stalked Sunnydale in expensive pumps, her minions furiously seeking the identity of The Key, Buffy had bigger problems. Doctors discovered that Joyce was suffering from brain cancer, while Dawn accidentally learned about her true origins and freaked out.

Focusing on her family and refusing to show any weakness, Buffy managed to drive boyfriend Riley (Marc Blucas) away. Of course, she had a little helping hand from Spike (James Marsters), who discovered, to his horror, that he'd fallen in love with his arch-nemesis. Although repulsed by the neutered vampire's affections, Buffy slowly grew to trust him as an ally -- especially after an unexpected death left her feeling more alone than ever. Friends Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), Willow (Alyson Hannigan), Xander (Nicholas Brendan), and Anya (Emma Caulfield) continued to serve as Buffy's inner circle, while Tara (Amber Benson) escaped from her own repressive family to become a bona fide Scooby, reinforcing the season's familial theme. When an attack from Glory left Tara drooling and helpless, Willow struck back, testing her rapidly growing magical abilities. She failed, leading indirectly to Glory's discovery of The Key's identity. With Dawn in the hellgod's clutches and the clock ticking down to the moment when Glory could use the girl's death to break down the barriers between hell and earth, Buffy reached its 100th-episode season finale. Titled "The Gift," it summed up the season's themes of family, loss, and sacrifice and left some doubt as to the show's future. Behind the scenes, financial negotiations between the show's producers and the WB network had broken down. But upstart UPN agreed to pay top dollar for two more seasons, leaving the WB with a hole in its schedule and fans overjoyed. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 06 (2001)
As Buffy the Vampire Slayer began its new life on UPN after five years on the WB, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) herself returned to the living thanks to the necromancy of her friend Willow (Alyson Hannigan). Her back-from-the-dead depression setting a darker tone for the series, the Chosen One faced new responsibilities as de facto parent of sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg). The show's producers have accurately described the theme of the sixth season as "real life is the 'big bad.'" Depression, addiction, relationship wreckage, and dead-end jobs did more to plague the Slayer than the actual bad guys, a trio of nerdy ex-Sunnydale students who fashioned themselves as super-villains. Previous guest stars Danny Strong, as Jonathan, and Adam Busch, as Warren, were joined by newcomer Tom Lenk, as Andrew; their endless Dungeons & Dragons and Star Wars banter provided the bulk of the season's comic relief even as their attempts at villainy grew darker and more successful. Meanwhile, in the celebrated episode "Once More, With Feeling," series creator Joss Whedon fulfilled a lifelong ambition to write a musical. Falling under the spell of an all-singing, all-dancing demon, Buffy and the Scoobies found themselves bursting into song to declaim their innermost feelings. The big revelations included the reservations Xander (Nicholas Brendan) and Anya (Emma Caulfield) felt about their impending marriage; the fact that Willow had manipulated the memories of her girlfriend, Tara (Amber Benson); and the anger Buffy felt when her friends' resurrection spell plucked her not from hellish torment, but from peaceful reward.

With Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) heading back to England in an attempt at tough love, an isolated Buffy turned to the smitten Spike (James Marsters) for comfort. The graphic depiction of the pair's twisted sexual relationship proved controversial, especially to Gellar, who later complained that she found the portrayal degrading. Gay-rights activists, who had long praised the show's depiction of lesbian love between Willow and Tara, raised even bigger objections to the climactic story line. After spending the season attempting to recover from her highly metaphorical addiction to magic, Willow went mad and nearly destroyed the world to avenge Tara's death at the hands of über-geek Warren. An affectionate riff on the classic "Dark Phoenix" saga in Whedon's beloved X-Men comics, this "Dark Willow" story line -- including a promotional spot that declared "Hell hath no fury...like a Wiccan scorned" -- struck some viewers as a sad capitulation to pop culture's "crazy lesbian killer" stereotype. Not that things went very well for the show's heterosexual romances, either. Xander left Anya at the alter, leading her to resume her role as a vengeance demon. And Spike, dumped by Buffy, attempted to rape her, then endured a series of supernatural trials to earn back his human soul and become worthy of her love. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 07 (2002)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer began its seventh and ultimately final season with a metaphorical return to its roots. Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) enrolling at a rebuilt Sunnydale High School and Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) quickly installing there as a guidance counselor seemed to poise the series for a return to teenage metaphors and a lighter tone after the darkness of the previous season. But when a new villain is announced by taking the form of each season's previous "big bad" villain, Buffy embarks on an extended story line that mirrors America's deepening commitment to the "war on terror" and the post-9/11 invasion of Afghanistan. The continued assaults of the First Evil -- the malevolent but bodiless force from which all other evil springs -- force Buffy to become the general of an ad-hoc army and stage a preemptive strike against the Hellmouth. The resulting story line brings the series to an ultimately hopeful finale, but one suffused with loss. Some fans and critics think that consistently excellent writing was an early casualty of the season. For one thing, series creator Joss Whedon had a full slate executive producing the spin-off Angel and the short-lived Firefly. The introduction of copious new faces in the form of Buffy's new slayer-in-training army didn't leave room for much focus on the show's established characters. When the Scoobies were bestowed with extensive plot lines, they often reflected the season's overarching themes of loneliness and the isolation of power.

Cut off from her friends by returning to the vengeance-demon fold, Anya (Emma Caulfield) finally comes to terms with her search for herself. Meanwhile, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) struggles to redeem herself and master the immense powers that nearly destroyed her. Newly ensouled Spike (James Marsters) finds redemption of his own as Buffy's lieutenant and protector. Geeky former villain Andrew (Tom Lenk) throws in his lot with the good guys who didn't really want him. Dawn and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) struggle with their roles as non-combatants.

Despite a jokey subplot that toyed with the idea that he was an agent of the First, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) tries unsuccessfully to check Buffy's autocratic recklessness. New Sunnydale High Principal Robin Wood (D.B. Woodside) proves an enigmatic presence at first, but the eventual revelation of his ties to Spike and the slayer line adds yet another personality to the Scoobies' rapidly expanding ranks. The return of reformed rogue slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku) for the final five episodes helps fulfill the promise that the seventh season would bring Buffy back to its roots.

Written and directed by Whedon himself, the series finale turns the concept of "the chosen one" on its head. New and beloved characters alike bite the dust, as does the town of Sunnydale itself. But Willow and Spike at long last find their redemption, and the show's feminist themes found an excellent final metaphor. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi