In 1997, Sarah Michelle Gellar became a television legend when she starred Buffy the Vampire SlayerIt is Buffy Summers, the resident vampire slayer of Sunnydale, California. Tasked with keeping the city from monsters and the Hellmouth underfoot, the series explores her struggles to balance her personal life with her monster-hunting duties. Throughout the show, the tone can range from campy and humorous to terrifying or downright devastating.
Twenty-eight years after the series began, some episodes remain as tragic and frightening as they were when they first aired, to the point that they are sometimes ignored. Given the grim nature of some episodes, it’s no surprise that some stories make for poignant spectacle, even when viewers know what’s coming. Nearly thirty years later, this masterpiece of a series still deserves to be recognized for its emotional reach, and these episodes prove it.
Help leaves Buffy feeling helpless
“Help” follows Buffy in her role as student councilor of Sunnydale High, where she meets Cassie, a teenager who can see the future and predict her own death. With the Scooby Gang still unconvinced of Cassie’s abilities, Buffy sets out to try to find out who could come after her. As more parts of the teenager’s visions come true, the threat against her is revealed.
“Help” is both a tragic exploration of fate and a parallel to suicide, bringing awareness to the fact that many adolescents carry invisible pain and grief. Once viewers know the story, the episode fits perfectly into the idea of fatalism, leading them into one of the rare instances where Buffy simply couldn’t do anything.
The assault seeing Red devastated James Masters
“Seeing Red” continues Buffy’s search for Warren, Jonathan and Andrew after they obtain powerful orbs that could allow them to kill the Slayer. At the same time, the Scoobies are distracted by the fallout from Anya’s tryst with Spike, pitting them against each other. When Spike stops by the house to try to fix things, everything goes from bad to worse as viewers are forced to watch one of the most brutal scenes in the show’s history.
To date, few episodes have left fans as shaken, disturbed and angry as Spike’s attempted rape of the heroine, completely derailing her romance with Buffy. A story so controversial that even James Masters hates it, many cite this as the moment that changed their outlook on the remaining episodes to come. If the assault wasn’t bad enough, the episode’s shocking final scene was a devastating tragedy,
Normal again Gaslit everyone
“Normal Again” begins when, while searching for the trio, Buffy is attacked by a demon, whose attack appears to pull her into “reality”. When she wakes up, she is hospitalized in a psychiatric facility, where doctors and her parents try to convince her that everything she remembers as a killer is a figment of her imagination. As she slips between the two worlds, she questions her life in Sunnydale, realizing how fantastical and improbable it is.
The idea behind “Normal Again” has been used in countless science fiction and fantasy shows, but few have been as frustrating and almost claustrophobic as Buffy’s ordeal. Whedon wrote the episode effectively as a meta-critique of television, playing on real plot holes in the show to cast doubt on both the Slayer ordeal and everything the audience believes about the show. For some, it’s a brilliant subversion of the genre, while others find it a frustrating experience.
Hell’s Bells Shattered Season 6
Perhaps the biggest event that season six built toward was the wedding of Alex and Anya, whose romance gave the series many of its most wholesome moments. In “Hell’s Bells”, the time has finally arrived, only for a nervous Alex to be shaken by a visit from a man who claims to be his future self. Seeing that nothing but misery and resentment lies in his future, he abandons the marriage, returning a heartbroken Anya to her work as a revenge demon.
Anyone who has seen the series knows that Anya and Alex’s breakup is one of the most uncomfortable episodes of the series and something that takes a toll on their romance. This proved such an unpopular and hated episode that it retroactively made their most affectionate episodes bittersweet and tragic. It’s neither gory nor traumatic, but it almost seems tailor-made to anger fans, remaining one of the worst things Alex has ever done.
Wild at Heart sabotaged Willow and Oz
Willow and Oz’s relationship has been one of the healthiest aspects of Buffy the Vampire Slayer previous seasons. Things fell apart in “Wild at Heart” when Oz encountered another werewolf, Veruca, who refused to be caged during her transition, letting her wolf kill itself. Torn between wanting to save Veruca and his loyalty to Willow, Oz ends up cheating on her, destroying his relationship.
“Wild At Heart” reminded viewers that no matter how likable or wholesome the character, no one was safe from a dark change of pace in Whedon’s series. Losing Oz left a void in the show, and there’s something so relatable and sad about seeing a heartbroken Willow cry alone as her boyfriend leaves. Luckily, she had the best love of her life on the show right around the corner.
I only have eyes for you, it’s a tearjerker
“I Only Have Eyes for You” revolves around the discovery that Sunnydale High is haunted by the tormented spirits of a couple who died in a murder-suicide in the 1950s. On the anniversary of that fateful night, one of the ghosts possesses Buffy, forcing her and the evil Angelus to relive the tragedy. While Giles is consumed by the need to find Jenny’s ghost, he and Willow fall victim to the forces of the undead.
“I Only Have Eyes for You” is a heartbreaking episode on many levels, including its false glimmer of hope that Buffy and Angel can find love again. Plus, it’s still difficult to watch the heartbreaking fate of the ghosts, James and Grace, unfold as they force the students to reenact their deaths. The episode also reminds viewers of Giles’ grief over the loss of Jenny, making it a tearjerker for each character.
Lying to me gave Buffy a tragic choice
“Lie to Me” sees the arrival of one of Buffy’s friends from her old high school in Los Angeles, where he reveals that he knows she is the killer. Despite their friendship reestablishing itself, things begin to change as Ford’s obsession with vampires scares Buffy, eventually leading to the revelation that he has cancer. Desperate to be turned into a vampire, he attends a club full of vampire-obsessed fans, each of whom wants to become sired.
“Lie To Me” was one of Buffy’s most emotional challenges from previous seasons, ending with her having to drive a stake through one of her best friends. The episode is a dark look at mortality and a reminder that there are some things that even the killer can’t protect people from.
Prophecy Girl led Buffy to her destiny
The first season of Buffy ultimately revolved around the killer’s mission to prevent the ascension of the Master and his Anointed, prophesied to dominate the world if they ascend. When all of her friends are taken prisoner by vampires, it’s up to Buffy to accept her fate of dying in battle against the villain. Hoping to take down the monsters with her, she bravely sets out to save her friends and save the world.
“Prophecy Girl” marked the first big, tragic episode of the series as fans watched in shock to see the Master kill Buffy. Playing on the show’s themes of sacrifice and destiny, it set up the next six seasons brilliantly, but it’s hard to deny that it’s still difficult to watch the villain kill the heroic killer.
The gift shows Buffy’s selflessness
The fifth season of Buffy brilliantly built up the threat of Glory, a goddess from a dark dimension intent on unleashing hell on Earth. In order to achieve her goal, she must use Dawn in a ritual, leaving the Scoobies unsure of what to do: prioritize Dawn and risk Glory using her, or do the unthinkable to save the world. In the end, Buffy decides to give her own life to close the portal to the other world, leaving her friends grieving and Sunnydale without a Slayer.
Buffy’s second heroic death in the series, “The Gift”, reminded everyone how selfless the Slayer is, giving little thought to giving her life for her friends. Combined with its emotional soundtrack and the slow build-up to her jump, it marks one of the most important moments in Buffy history, especially when fans know what’s coming next.
Body shows heartbreaking natural death
The fifth season of the series dealt with Buffy’s mother’s battle with a brain tumor, which caused her to say hurtful things. In “The Body”, everything fell apart when the killer came home and found Joyce dead on the couch. Traumatized more than any monster she’s ever faced, she remains speechless for much of the episode, alternating between panic, tears, and grief.
For a series that embraced the fantasy genre, “The Body” proved that, even for a monster hunter, the death of those we love is everyone’s worst nightmare. Joyce was a part of the show from the beginning, and her loss hit everyone on the show, forever removing the most innocent and wholesome. To this day, it’s the episode that countless fans skip during their Buffy excessive watches, not because it’s bad but because it’s tragic.
- Release date
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1997 – 2003
- Network
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The WB
- Showrunner
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Joss Whedon
- Directors
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Joss Whedon
- Writers
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Joss Whedon
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Sarah Michelle Gellar
Buffy Summers
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Nicholas Brendon
Alexander Harris