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Guide


Those of you who have known me for more than 30 seconds are probably aware that I am a huge fan of Joss Whedon and his first and probably still most notable TV Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It may have taken you upwards of 10 minutes however to learn that I don't like every single episode of the show. In fact, I have a highly expurgated playlist of the series that I suggest people go through to see what the show has to offer without sitting through 120 or so hours of television that, frankly, isn't always spectacular.

Since we recently started re-watching the show at TV Club I've been rethinking my episode guide a little bit and I've decided to offer it up here for you. Each episode has the title of the episode along with a brief description that I've cribbed from Wikipedia (Warning: some spoilers so don't read too far ahead) along with my personal grade for the episode.

This episode guide comes in three flavors. The "Expurgated" version only hits the highlights (about a third of the episodes in earlier seasons but then just 1 or 2 a year from then on) and allows you to be conversant about Buffy at parties. The "Suggested" button will get you my personal playlist of all the Buffy episodes I think are worth watching. This totals 85 or so of the 144 total episodes. "Everything" will get you descriptions of all the Buffy episodes but you should still be able to tell their quality since less essential episodes are increasingly transparent.

So, without further ado: pick your poison

Expurgated Suggested Everything

Welcome to the Hellmouth

Episode: 101

Grade: B+

Buffy arrives in Sunnydale and is not happy to meet her new Watcher, Rupert Giles. A mysterious "friend" offers guidance, but Buffy resists her destiny until Willow and Jesse are abducted. Buffy saves Willow from an ordinary vampire, but loses track of Jesse in a confrontation with Luke, the Master's vampire vessel.

The Harvest

Episode: 102

Grade: B

After escaping from Luke, Buffy goes in search of Jesse, with a little help from Giles and Willow, from her mystery friend, Angel, and from Xander, who braves the dank, dark sewers with her. The Master plots the Harvest, a ritual designed to imbue him with enough strength to open the Hellmouth, but Buffy defeats his minions in a showdown at The Bronze.

Witch

Episode: 103

Grade: B-

Buffy suspects she has a witch on her hands when the cheerleading squad falls victim to sudden blindness and spontaneous combustion.

Teachers Pet

Episode: 104

Grade: C+

Xander is smitten by the substitute biology teacher, Ms. French, who turns out to be a giant praying mantis terrifying enough to make vampires run for cover. Angel's warning gives Buffy a vital clue and she rescues the virgin male students—including Xander—chosen to fertilize the creature's eggs.

Never Kill a Boy on the First Date

Episode: 105

Grade: A-

Buffy's love life is looking up when she goes on a date with the normal Owen, but when Owen nearly gets killed during Buffy's battle to save Giles and the others from the Master's vampires, she decides that "normal" dating might be too dangerous after all.

The Pack

Episode: 106

Grade: B-

At the zoo, Xander and four other students sneak into the off-limits hyena habitat and become infected by an evil demon spirit. Xander and his pack grow more and more feral until Buffy, Giles, and Willow reverse the spell.

Angel

Episode: 107

Grade: B

Sharing their first kiss, Buffy is horrified to discover that Angel is a vampire. Bent on Slaying him, Buffy learns that Angel's soul was restored by a Gypsy curse, making him unique—and reviled—among his fellow undead. Angel stakes Darla, the vampire who made him, as she attempts to assassinate Buffy for the Master.

I, Robot...You, Jane

Episode: 108

Grade: D+

Willow meets a boy on the Internet, but "Malcolm" is really Moloch, an ancient demon released from bondage after Willow scanned his "book" into the school's computer. With help from Ms. Calendar, Sunnydale High's computer teacher, Buffy foils Moloch's plan to upload himself into a giant robot.

The Puppet Show

Episode: 109

Grade: B-

After Principal Flutie's death, the new sheriff in Sunnydale High, Principal Snyder, forces Buffy and her friends to participate in the school talent show. When a girl's heart is harvested, Buffy suspects a fellow student and his strangely talkative dummy.

Nightmares

Episode: 110

Grade: B

Sunnydale residents find their worst nightmares coming true and Buffy learns that a little boy in a coma is the cause. To solve the problem, the gang must wake him up and help him confront his fears.

Out of Mind, Out of Sight

Episode: 111

Grade: B

Ignored by students and teachers alike, Marcie literally becomes invisible, then uses her affliction to terrorize Cordelia and her friends. Sympathetic at first, Buffy nevertheless stops Marcie when she goes too far. Men in black come to take Marcie away.

Prophecy Girl

Episode: 112

Grade: A-

Buffy quits Slaying when a prophecy predicts she will die in battle against the Master and the Anointed One, but soon puts aside her fear and enters the fray on her own timetable and terms. In fulfillment of prophecy, the Master indeed kills the Slayer and opens the Hellmouth, but learns too late that Buffy is resilient, unpredictable—and lethal.

When She Was Bad

Episode: 201

Grade: B

Buffy suffers a vision in which the Master, undead, kills her once again. The Anointed One plans to resurrect the slain Master in a ritual using his exhumed skeleton, with kidnapped Scooby Gang members as blood sacrifices. Buffy rescues her friends, then deals with her residual fear and anger by obliterating the Master entirely.

Some Assembly Require

Episode: 202

Grade: B-

Bodies of girls killed in traffic accidents are being dug from their graves. The culprits are two science students, Chris and Eric, using pieces of the girls to create a bride for Chris' monstrous brother, Daryl. The only thing the young monsters need now is Cordy's head—can the Scooby Gang members arrive in time to save her?

School Hard

Episode: 203

Grade: A

The Night of St. Vigeous is fast approaching, when the power of all vampires will be at its peak. Spike and Drusilla blast into town and learn that Sunnydale has its very own Slayer. Impatient to add a third notch to his tally of Slayer-kills, Spike attacks Buffy at Sunnydale High on Parent Teacher Night—with disastrous results.

Inca Mummy Girl

Episode: 204

Grade: B

After the seal of protection lying in her sarcophagus is broken, a mummified Incan girl in a museum exhibit is revivified when she sucks the life-force from a touring student. An unsuspecting Xander falls head over heels for the Latin beauty, Ampata, and must save Willow when his mistake threatens to cost her her life.

Reptile Boy

Episode: 205

Grade: C+

Upset again at Angel, Buffy lies to Giles and goes to a frat party with Cordelia, where their dates drug them and chain them in the basement. The house brothers worship a snake demon and sacrifice girls to it annually in exchange for wealth and power. Giles, Angel, and Willow compare notes and meet up with Xander just in time to help Buffy break up the cabal.

Halloween

Episode: 206

Grade: A

Costume shop owner Ethan Rayne casts a spell that transforms kids into their costume personae. Angel and Cordelia try to help as Willow becomes a ghost, Xander a soldier, and Buffy a brainless, helpless 18th-century noblewoman. Spike joins the fun and tries to take advantage of the Slayer's predicament, but Giles breaks Ethan's spell at a critical moment.

Lie to Me

Episode: 207

Grade: A

Out patrolling, Buffy spies Angel with a demonstrative Drusilla, then catches him in a lie later. Billy "Ford" Fordham, Buffy's long-time LA school chum, transfers to Sunnydale High, but nobody suspects he is negotiating a deal with Spike—and offering the Slayer as trade goods. Angel discreetly enlists Willow's help.

The Dark Age

Episode: 208

Grade: B+

Haunted by his dark past when he was known as Ripper, Giles confronts his old crony Ethan Rayne in an attempt to save Jenny from the lethal consequences of possession by the demon Eyghon. With Giles and the Slayer slated as its next victims, demon-ridden Angel forces Eyghon to possess him instead.

What's My Line Pt. 1

Episode: 209

Grade: A-

To get help killing Buffy while he intensifies his search for Dru's cure, Spike calls upon the Order of Taraka. Buffy is attacked by a series of assassins, including her heir "Kendra, the Vampire Slayer", who was called when Buffy died at the end of Season 1 and initially mistakes Buffy for a vampire. Kendra, having seen "vampire" Buffy kissing vampire Angel, has already taken Angel out of the picture.

What's My Line Pt. 2

Episode: 210

Grade: A

While Career Week drags on at Sunnydale High, Buffy and Kendra form an uneasy alliance to stop Spike from sacrificing Angel, whose blood, ritually spilled when the moon is full, is Drusilla's only cure. The Slayers bring Spike's plan, to host a massive killing spree for Dru's "coming out party," down around his ears.

Ted

Episode: 211

Grade: C

Buffy returns home one evening to find her mother kissing a stranger in the kitchen. Joyce's date, Ted, turns abusive with Buffy, who accidentally kills him in self-defense. Believing herself guilty of manslaughter, the Slayer is heartily relieved to learn that Ted is a serial killer android targeting Joyce as his next wife/victim.

Bad Eggs

Episode: 212

Grade: C

For Health class, students unknowingly adopt "eggs" of a Bezoar demon growing under the school. Its arachnoid "babies" are able to directly control a person's central nervous system. Dealing with a pair of outlaw vampire brothers in addition to slaying the enormous Bezoar before its progeny take over Sunnydale, Buffy gets ultra-grounded for her trouble.

Surprise Pt. 1

Episode: 213

Grade: A

Buffy turns 17 and the Scoobies plan a surprise party. Meanwhile Drusilla plans her own celebration as Spike collects her presents: the disassembled pieces of The Judge, an ancient demon called to cleanse the world of humanity. Stymied at every turn, Buffy and Angel go back to his place to regroup, where they confess their deepest feelings and make love for the first time. Afterwards, Angel wakes in the middle of the night calling Buffy's name in anguish...

Innocence Pt. 2

Episode: 214

Grade: A+

Because he finds even "one moment of true happiness" in Buffy's arms, Angel's curse is nullified; he loses his soul and reverts to his former self, the vicious super-evil killer vampire, Angelus who teams up with Spike and Drusilla to have the Judge destroy humanity. Jenny Calendar turns out to be a Gypsy spy. Devastated by these betrayals, Buffy still takes out the reputedly indestructible Judge using her birthday present from Xander—a stolen rocket launcher.

Phases

Episode: 215

Grade: B+

There's a werewolf at large in Sunnydale and the Scoobies discover that it's Oz. Buffy tries to protect Sunnydale residents from the beast's savagery, and protect the savage beast from a bounty hunter who doesn't care that his target is human 28 days out of 31. Meanwhile, Angelus stirs up more trouble for Buffy. Willow convinces Oz she still wants to see him, despite everything.

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

Episode: 216

Grade:

Valentine's Day has everyone on edge. With secret reluctance, Cordelia dumps Xander to appease her friends. Crushed, Xander coerces Amy to cast a love spell, but it goes awry and every woman in Sunnydale, except Cordy, becomes pathologically attracted to him. A smitten Dru saves Xander from Angelus, but who will save him from the screaming mob?

Passion

Episode: 217

Grade: A+

Angelus kicks his terror campaign against Buffy and her friends into high gear, leading them to believe Joyce is his next target. Jenny makes progress rediscovering the gypsy Ritual of Restoration and, with Buffy's terse blessing, gets back together with Giles. Jenny and Giles also work with Buffy and Willow to ritually revoke Angel's invitations into their various homes. Angelus takes his anger out on Jenny with tragic results.

Killed by Death

Episode: 218

Grade: C+

After flu lands Buffy in the hospital, she rescues fevered children from Der Kindestod, a nightmare demon invisible to healthy people. When getting well means losing her ability to fight the demon, Buffy reinfects herself. In saving the other children, she also avenges her young cousin and puts her own hospital phobia to rest.

I Only Have Eyes for You

Episode: 219

Grade: B+

The tortured ghost of a former Sunnydale High student re-enacts a murder-suicide on the night of the school's Sadie Hawkins dance. Bespelled to play the parts, Buffy and Angelus change the tragic outcome just enough for the lovers' spirits to find peace, and for Buffy to learn the meaning of forgiveness.

Go Fish

Episode: 220

Grade: C-

Xander goes undercover on the Sunnydale swim team after members begin turning up dead. Apparently, the swim-team coach gives fish/steroid cocktails to the swim team to get them to perform, but it turns them into sea monsters.

Becoming Pt. 1

Episode: 221

Grade: A

Kendra's Watcher sends her back to Sunnydale because a dark power is rising: Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla have found a petrified demon called Acathla and plans to perform a ritual that will allow Acathla to wake up and suck every living thing on the planet into hell.

Becoming Pt. 2

Episode: 222

Grade: A

With Kendra murdered by Drusilla, Willow in the hospital with head trauma, and Giles kidnapped by Angelus, Buffy must decode Whistler's cryptic clues and accept help from an unexpected source (Spike) to stop Angelus in order to prevent the world from being sucked into Acathla's hell dimension.

Anne

Episode: 301

Grade: B+

Still not knowing Buffy's whereabouts, the rest of the gang return to school and take over the slaying. Meanwhile Buffy, who is now living under an assumed identity, is recognized in a diner, and begins her fight to return home from the Netherworld she has fallen into.

Dead Man's Party

Episode: 302

Grade: B-

Buffy struggles to fit back into Sunnydale life. She feels her friends and family have grown distant while she was away. Meanwhile, a Nigerian demon mask summons an army of zombies straight to Buffy's house...where everyone is celebrating her arrival.

Faith, Hope & Trick

Episode: 303

Grade: B+

Another Slayer, Faith (Eliza Dushku), arrives in Sunnydale, closely tracked by two vampires, thoroughly modern Mr. Trick (K. Todd Freeman) and incredibly ancient Kakistos (Jeremy Roberts). Buffy and Faith set out to put an end to Kakistos. Buffy finally accepts Scott Hope's (Fab Filippo) invitation to date.

Beauty and the Beasts

Episode: 304

Grade: B

After Oz escapes from his cage, everyone suspects that he committed last night's brutal murders. Only Buffy knows that Angel is a suspect as well.

Homecoming

Episode: 305

Grade: A-

Buffy and Cordelia compete for Homecoming Queen while Mr. Trick organizes SlayerFest '98. Willow and Xander kiss, although each is seeing someone else. Unknown to SlayerFest personnel, Cordelia changes places with Faith. Buffy and Cordy reconcile while trying to defeat Mr. Trick's contestants.

Band Candy

Episode: 306

Grade: B+

A candy created by Ethan Rayne (Robin Sachs) causes Sunnydale's adults to behave like teenagers. Buffy confronts Rayne and makes him tell her about a plan to sacrifice Sunnydale newborns to a monster in the sewers.

Revelations

Episode: 307

Grade: B

Faith's new Watcher, Gwendolyn Post (Serena Scott Thomas), arrives in Sunnydale. Xander discovers Buffy's secret and manipulates Faith into attempting to slay Angel, while Ms. Post is revealed to be more than meets the eye.

Lover's Walk

Episode: 308

Grade: A-

A lovelorn Spike (James Marsters) returns and kidnaps Willow to cast a love spell on Drusilla. Stashing Willow and a wounded Xander at the factory, Spike soon concocts a new plan while Buffy, Oz, Giles, and Cordelia hunt their friends down.

The Wish

Episode: 309

Grade: A-

Cordelia's pain over Xander's betrayal summons Anyanka (Emma Caulfield), a vengeance demon who grants wishes to scorned women. Cordelia wishes that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale, and constructs an alternate reality where the Master (Mark Metcalf) rose from the dead and the Harvest took over Sunnydale. Giles discovers this in the alternate reality and realizes he is able to reverse the events.

Amends

Episode: 310

Grade: B

The First Evil is driving Angel insane, appearing as victims of his past crimes, priming him to kill Buffy. Instead, he tries to kill himself.

Gingerbread

Episode: 311

Grade: B

After two children are mysteriously killed, apparently as part of a cult sacrifice, Joyce (Kristine Sutherland) leads the town in a witch hunt - but all is not quite as it seems. Buffy, Willow, and Amy Madison (Elizabeth Anne Allen) are tied to stakes and Giles and Cordelia must rescue them, while Amy turns herself into a rat to escape the angry mob.

Helpless

Episode: 312

Grade: A

Giles secretly prepares Buffy for the Cruciamentum, an ordeal the Watchers' Council requires every Slayer endure on her eighteenth birthday. Giles helps Buffy, thereby affecting his job as a watcher.

The Zeppo

Episode: 313

Grade: A

Xander tries to be cool and hangs out with Jack O'Toole (Channon Roe), who resurrects three of his former buddies. Xander soon realizes they are up to something deadly and attempts to hide. Meanwhile, the others need to prevent the Sisterhood of Jhe from reopening the Hellmouth.

Bad Girls

Episode: 314

Grade: B+

The Slayers get a new Watcher, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (Alexis Denisof). The girls are having a wild night at The Bronze, where Angel brings info on the whereabouts of the demon, Balthazar (Christian Clemenson).

Consequences

Episode: 315

Grade: A

Faith tells Giles that Buffy is the one who slew the Deputy Mayor (Jack Plotnick). Angel apprehends Faith, but Wesley thwarts his intervention and allows Faith to escape. She plans to leave town on the next freighter.

Doppelgangland

Episode: 316

Grade: B+

Wanting to be a vengeance demon again, Anya tricks Willow into helping with a spell to retrieve her power center, the amulet Giles destroyed in an alternate reality ("The Wish"). Instead of the amulet, however, the spell transports Willow's vampire version to an unsuspecting Sunnydale.

Enemies

Episode: 317

Grade: B

The Mayor (Harry Groener) and Faith plot to use a demon to steal Angel's soul and let Angelus remove Buffy from the picture.

Earshot

Episode: 318

Grade: B-

Buffy is infected by a demon's blood and gains the ability to read minds. At Sunnydale High, Buffy overhears someone through mind-reading making a violent death threat to the whole school. As she goes insane hearing everyone's thoughts all at once, Angel, Giles, and Wesley struggle to save her.

Choices

Episode: 319

Grade:

When Wesley tells her she cannot leave Sunnydale to go to a fine college, Buffy launches an offensive to shut down the Mayor's plans for Ascension. Willow chooses among colleges while Xander plans a road trip.

The Prom

Episode: 320

Grade: B+

Angel decides to do the right thing and break up with Buffy. Meanwhile, Buffy has to save the prom from Hellhounds with a fetish for formal wear. Angel shows up for the last dance.

Graduation Day Pt. 1

Episode: 321

Grade: A

While the Mayor prepares for his Ascension, Faith goes around "tying up" loose ends, one of those being Angel. Faith shoots Angel with a poisoned arrow, and Buffy must battle Faith to save Angel's life, needing her Slayer blood as antidote.

Graduation Day Pt. 1

Episode: 322

Grade:

Buffy forces Angel to feed on her to save his life and he must rush her to the hospital to save hers. The Mayor, as a guest speaker at Sunnydale, Ascends and becomes the demon Olvikan. Meanwhile, Faith remains in a coma, from which the doctors expect her never to wake.

The Freshman

Episode: 401

Grade: B-

While Willow blossoms in the college environment, Buffy has a difficult time adjusting - getting lost, getting kicked out of a class for talking, meeting her Cher-loving roommate Kathy (Dagney Kerr) - and her Slaying suffers because of it.

Living Conditions

Episode: 402

Grade: D

Buffy becomes convinced that her annoying roommate is evil, but her friends think she is crazy. Buffy steals Kathy's toenail clippings to prove that Kathy is a demon and they get into a fight.

The Harsh Light of Day

Episode: 403

Grade: A-

Spike returns to Sunnydale for a gem that will make him invincible. He finds it, but Buffy gets it away from him and decides to send it to Angel. Buffy returns to dating but ends up being let down and hurt.

"Fear, Itself"

Episode: 404

Grade: B

The gang find themselves in a real-life house of horrors while at a Halloween frat party, in which a fear demon feeds on their individual fears. Meanwhile, Anya needs Giles to help her save Xander when she realizes something is amiss.

Beer Bad

Episode: 405

Grade: D-

Xander gets a job bartending at the college pub; Buffy drinks with upperclassmen at that pub. It turns out that the bar manager is spiking the beer with some supernatural mojo, causing the targets to revert to caveman mentality.

Wild At Heart

Episode: 406

Grade: B

Oz meets another werewolf, Veruca (Paige Moss), and locks her in his cage to prevent her from attacking people. Willow comes to the cage the next morning to find them naked together. Veruca tries to kill Willow, Oz-wolf kills Veruca, Buffy stops him from attacking Willow, then Oz leaves town.

The Initiative

Episode: 407

Grade: B

Spike, who was captured by the commandos, is being held hostage by them in a hi-tech facility underneath the University. Spike escapes and heads to find Buffy, who he assumes is behind this; Riley realizes he has a crush on Buffy.

Pangs

Episode: 408

Grade: C+

Xander accidentally releases Hus (Tod Thawley), a Native American vengeance spirit. Angel secretly arrives in Sunnydale to protect Buffy (who is attempting a perfect Thanksgiving) from the spirit.

Something Blue

Episode: 409

Grade: C+

A spell by Willow goes awry, blinding Giles, making Xander a literal demon-magnet, and causing Buffy and Spike to fall in love and get engaged. Once Willow realizes her mistake, she goes about reversing it.

Hush

Episode: 410

Grade: A+

The Gentlemen steal the voices of the population of Sunnydale, rendering everyone in the town (including the Scooby Gang) unable to speak. Giles reveals that the only thing that can defeat The Gentleman is a real human scream. This episode is mostly silent (aside from music) from the point The Gentlemen steal Sunnydale's voices.

Doomed

Episode: 411

Grade: B+

An earthquake occurs in Sunnydale, which signifies the Hellmouth is opening. The gang must return to the remains of Sunnydale High to stop it; Buffy and Riley struggle with each other's secrets.

A New Man

Episode: 412

Grade: B-

Giles, feeling left out, goes out for drinks with Ethan Rayne (Robin Sachs). He wakes up in the morning as a Fyarl demon, and hires Spike to help him. Mistaking him for a Fyarl demon, The Initiative and Buffy try to hunt him down.

The I in Team

Episode: 413

Grade: B-

When Professor Walsh (Lindsay Crouse) decides Buffy is a threat to The Initiative, she decides to kill her by sending her on a dangerous mission. Riley discovers that Professor Walsh has tried to kill Buffy and begins to think seriously of leaving the organization.

Goodbye Iowa

Episode: 414

Grade: B

Buffy discovers The Initiative's secret weapon; Riley becomes unstable due to the death of Professor Walsh and drug withdrawal; Adam (George Hertzberg) reveals some information about himself, while trying to learn about people by investigating their insides.

This Year's Girl Pt. 1

Episode: 415

Grade: B+

Faith (Eliza Dushku) wakes up from her eight month coma and seeks revenge against Buffy. After failing to attack her, she switches bodies with Buffy using a gift left to her by Richard Wilkins III (Harry Groener), the now-dead mayor.

This Year's Girl Pt. 2

Episode: 416

Grade: A-

Buffy (in Faith's body) is abducted by the Council's team, while Faith (in Buffy's body) has ruthless fun at the expense of Buffy. After Faith and Buffy (as each other) rescue a group of people in a church that has been attacked by vampires, they switch their bodies back. Faith begins to feel remorse, and heads to L.A.

Superstar

Episode: 417

Grade: A-

Jonathan (Danny Strong) casts a spell to cause all of Sunnydale to believe that he is the titular "superstar". However, the spell comes with a price - it conjures up a monster which endangers the town.

"Where the Wild Things Are

Episode: 418

Grade: C

When Buffy and Riley rouse a supernatural force at the fraternity party house, they are held hostage by ghost children who were abused by a Christian fundamentalist (Kathryn Joosten) and now seek revenge. Willow, Tara, and Giles perform a spell to stop the spirits.

New Moon Rising

Episode: 419

Grade: B

Oz returns to Sunnydale after learning to control his werewolf instincts. However, he loses control when he suspects Tara (Amber Benson) and Willow's relationship, and is subsequently caught by the Initiative.

The Yoko Factor Pt. 1

Episode: 420

Grade: B

Riley spars with Angel (David Boreanaz) when Angel visits Sunnydale; Adam convinces Spike that he will take his chip out if he helps him get Buffy where he wants, Spike agrees and sets out to distance the Scoobies from each other.

Primeval Pt. 2

Episode: 421

Grade: B+

The Scoobies reveal Adam's plan of releasing an army of hybrid cyborg monsters. A composite being created by a spell, combining the powers and personalities of Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles kills Adam after an intense fight.

Restless

Episode: 422

Grade: A

A primordial spirit haunts Buffy, Giles, Willow, and Xander in their individual, cryptic nightmares involving the First Slayer (Sharon Ferguson) as a result of the magic done in the previous episode.

Buffy Vs. Dracula

Episode: 501

Grade: C+

Buffy faces Count Dracula who has come to Sunnydale to make her one of his concubines. Dracula turns Xander into a Renfield of sorts, before being defeated but not killed.

Real Me

Episode: 502

Grade: B

Buffy is having trouble getting along with her sister Dawn, who is kidnapped by Harmony's gang. Harmony makes two inept attempts on Buffy's life, but fails each time and Dawn is saved.

The Replacement

Episode: 503

Grade: B-

Xander is split into two people by a demon, one strong, the other weak. The lame Xander is unhappy that the cool Xander lives his life better than he can, getting an apartment and a date with Anya.

Out of My Mind

Episode: 504

Grade: C+

Riley is risking his health to be able to fight with Buffy. His super soldier enhancement is destroying his heart. Buffy enlists Spike to take Riley to the doctor, but instead Spike kidnaps the doctor to remove his chip.

No Place Like Home

Episode: 505

Grade: B

Glory, the new Big Bad, is looking for "The Key". After being beaten by Glory, Buffy meets a monk who reveals to her that she doesn't really have a sister — Dawn is The Key, sent to Buffy for protection.

Family

Episode: 506

Grade: C

Tara is about to celebrate her 20th birthday, and her family comes to abduct her before she becomes a demon. Glory sends demons after the Slayer, and Tara accidentally helps them.

Fool For Love

Episode: 507

Grade: A-

After a close call, Buffy asks Spike about the slayers he's killed; he reveals he exploited their death wish. Buffy rebuffs Spike's advances, and while he originally is angry, he comforts her after she finds out about her mother's health condition.

shadow

Episode: 508

Grade: B

Joyce Summers has a brain tumor, and Buffy worries about how Dawn will take it. In addition, Buffy must keep her sister safe from Glory and her magic snake.

Listening to Fear

Episode: 509

Grade: C

As Buffy and Dawn help their mother prepare for surgery, an extraterrestrial preys on Sunnydale's mental patients and follows Joyce home. The alien was summoned by Ben to clean up Glory's mess, and Buffy kills it.

Into the Woods

Episode: 510

Grade: B-

Buffy learns Riley has been going to a vampire brothel to have his blood sucked for pleasure. She confronts him, and he says he's going away with the military if she doesn't give him a reason to stay. She wants him to stay, but doesn't tell him in time.

Triangle

Episode: 511

Grade: B

Emotions between Willow and Anya come to a boil over Xander, and they summon a troll (Olaf). The troll was Anya's ex-boyfriend whom she called vengeance upon. He tries to make Xander choose between the women, but Buffy sends him packing.

Checkpoint

Episode: 512

Grade: B+

The Watcher's Council withholds information about Glory from Buffy and make her go through a series of tests. Glory and the Knights of Byzantium target Buffy, and she realizes it's because she has power over them. She orders Quentin to give her the scoop on Glory, and it turns out she's not a demon - she's a god.

Blood Ties

Episode: 513

Grade: B-

Dawn discovers that she is the Key, becomes depressed, and runs away. She tells her tale to Ben, who morphs into Glory. Glory, not remembering Ben's thoughts, decides Dawn doesn't know the Key's location, and Willow and Tara teleport Glory elsewhere.

Crush

Episode: 514

Grade: B-

Spike's profession of love for Buffy is spurned when Drusilla returns. He offers to kill Dru, but Buffy is unimpressed. He saves Buffy from Dru, but has his invitation to the Summers' home revoked.

I Was Made to Love You

Episode: 515

Grade: B+

A robot girlfriend, April, is abandoned by her creator, Warren. When April tries to kill Warren's current girlfriend, Buffy intervenes. Spike secretly coerces Warren into making him a robot of Buffy.

The Body

Episode: 516

Grade: A-

Buffy and the gang are crushed by the death of Joyce. Dawn goes to the morgue to see the body and is attacked by a vampire. Buffy saves her and watches as Dawn reaches to touch Joyce.

Forever

Episode: 517

Grade: B

Buffy is comforted by Angel following her mother's death, although he can't stay. Dawn attempts to resurrect Joyce with the help of Spike and Doc, but stops part way through the ceremony after Buffy convinces her.

Intervention

Episode: 518

Grade: B-

The Scoobies discover Spike's new robot toy; Glory's minions kidnap Spike, thinking he is the Key, and when they realize he isn't they torture him for information. Buffy and Giles go on a discovery quest about the origin of the Slayer. Buffy is told ominously that "Death is your gift".

Tough Love

Episode: 519

Grade: C-

Willow and Tara get into an argument, leaving Tara vulnerable to be attacked by Glory, who thinks she is the Key. After discovering her error, Tara's brain is sucked out and Willow swears revenge.

Spiral

Episode: 520

Grade: B

Glory discovers the real Key, and Buffy and company must flee from her, and the Knights of Byzantium who are trying to destroy the Key. The gang race from Sunnydale in a caravan.

The Weight of the World

Episode: 521

Grade: B-

Willow tries to reach the Slayer, who has been rendered catatonic by Dawn's abduction.

The Gift

Episode: 522

Grade: B+

Buffy and the gang set out to rescue Dawn and fight Glory as the ritual commences. Also, Buffy finally realizes the meaning of "Death Is Your Gift."

Bargaining Pt. 1

Episode: 601

Grade: B+

Giles leaves town after wondering whether he still has a place in Sunnydale without Buffy. A vampire discovers that the Slayer has been replaced by a robot. Meanwhile, The Scoobies attempt to raise Buffy from the dead with a powerful spell.

Bargaining Pt. 2

Episode: 602

Grade: B+

Sunnydale is invaded by a gang of biker demons who, having learned that the Slayer is a robot, wreak havoc on the town. Meanwhile, the Scoobies attempt to flee from the demons while the real Buffy, having been resurrected from the dead, returns to the place of her death for an emotional confrontation with her younger sister.

After Life

Episode: 603

Grade: B-

Spike warns that the resurrection spell could have serious consequences, and his assessment proves to be correct as members of the gang are possessed by an unseen force.

flooded

Episode: 604

Grade: C+

Buffy faces financial problems while Warren, Andrew, and Jonathan team up in order to take over Sunnydale. They send a M'Fashnik demon to kill Buffy, whom they believe to be their biggest threat.

Life Serial

Episode: 605

Grade: B

Buffy is in serious need of money to support herself and Dawn, and she tries to focus on bringing in some money. However, her attempts fail as Jonathan, Warren, and Andrew create a number of obstacles to test her ability.

All the Way

Episode: 606

Grade: C+

Xander finally announces his engagement to Anya, and the Scoobies go back to Buffy's house to celebrate. Dawn sneaks out on Halloween by lying to Buffy but finds the boy she is falling for is a vampire, despite the fact he shouldn't be out on Halloween. Willow and Tara argue about Willow's overactive use of magic.

Once More, With Feeling

Episode: 607

Grade: A-

A mysterious force compels Sunnydale residents to break out into song and dance numbers that reveal their true feelings, and a new demon in town, Sweet, seems to be responsible for it. Buffy and Spike share a kiss.

Tabula Rasa

Episode: 608

Grade: B-

Willow and Tara argue over an amnesia spell, and Tara insists that Willow is dependent on magic. Willow promises to go a week without using magic but breaches the promise, causing the gang to forget who they are. Buffy and Spike kiss again. Giles goes back to London. Tara and Willow break up

Smashed

Episode: 609

Grade: B

Willow finds herself alone without Tara and discovers she's now powerful enough to turn the metamorphosed Amy from a rat back into human. They go out partying while Spike discovers that he can hurt Buffy.

Wrecked

Episode: 610

Grade: C+

Buffy is shaken by her previous meeting with Spike the night before, where they slept together and caused the building around them to collapse. Amy takes Willow to a sorcerer called Rack whose power gets her hooked. However, it ends with devastating consequences.

Gone

Episode: 611

Grade: C+

A social services worker threatens to take Dawn away from Buffy. Jonathan, Warren, and Andrew attempt to make themselves invisible, but the beam accidentally hits Buffy.

Doublemeat Palace

Episode: 612

Grade: D

Buffy gets a job at the Doublemeat Palace, but soon becomes paranoid about the mysterious secret ingredient in the food. Anya is visited by her old friend, Halfrek, who questions her relationship with Xander.

Dead Things

Episode: 613

Grade: C

Warren, Andrew, and Jonathan try to make Warren's ex-girlfriend Katrina their sex slave using magic, but when she fights back Warren kills her. They decide to make Buffy think that she has killed Katrina, using magical and demonic forces.

Older and Far Away

Episode: 614

Grade: B-

Dawn, feeling that nobody wants to spend time with her, makes a wish in front of a vengeance demon that everyone would stay with her. Fulfilling her wish, the demon causes everyone at Buffy's birthday party to be unable to leave.

As You Were

Episode: 615

Grade: B+

Riley returns to town - newly married - and enlists Buffy's help to track down a demon. Her encounter with Riley causes Buffy to end her relationship with Spike.

Hell's Bells

Episode: 616

Grade: D-

Before Xander and Anya's wedding, Xander's future self suddenly appears, and warns him that his marriage to Anya will be the beginning of a life of disgrace and pain. Xander is shown flashes of the future, convincing him to call it off, but later it is discovered it is only a demon taking revenge on Anyanka from her demon days. Nevertheless, the wedding doesn't go ahead and Anya and Xander break up.

Normal Again

Episode: 617

Grade: D-

Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew unleash a demon whose powers make Buffy believe that her friends are figments of her imagination. Buffy attempts to attack her friends, locks them in her basement and unleashes the same demon on them. Tara eventually finds the trio and Buffy recovers from the demon's poison by drinking an antidote. By the end of the episode however, it is unclear which world is reality.

Entropy

Episode: 618

Grade: B

Anya seeks vengeance on Xander and when looking for someone who wants the same, she finds comfort with Spike. Xander sees their impulsive behavior through a camera and tries to stake Spike. Willow and Tara arrange a date, which ends with the two of them kissing.

Seeing Red

Episode: 619

Grade: B-

Willow and Tara reconcile, and Tara tells Willow that Spike and Buffy have been sleeping together. Buffy stops The Trio when attempting a large-scale theft, but Warren escapes with a jetpack.

Villains

Episode: 620

Grade: B+

Willow, after being told Tara cannot be resurrected, is pushed over the edge by her grief. After magically saving Buffy, a dark Willow hunts The Trio, starting with Warren.

Two to Go Pt. 1

Episode: 621

Grade: B+

The Scoobies must protect Jonathan and Andrew from Willow.

Two to Go Pt. 2

Episode: 622

Grade: A-

Giles returns armed with temporary magic, but Willow defeats him and decides to end her suffering and the world's by bringing on an apocalypse. Xander attempts to stop her. In Africa, Spike completes a set of challenges given to him by a demon who offers him his soul if he is successful.

Lessons

Episode: 701

Grade: B

Dawn finds vengeful spirits in the new Sunnydale High; Giles is rehabilitating Willow in England. Spike is living in the high school basement and going insane after being filled with guilt upon the return of his soul.

Beneath Yoo

Episode: 702

Grade: B-

The gang deals with a giant underground demon; Willow prepares to return home. Spike reveals to Buffy that he has regained his soul.

Same Time, Same Place

Episode: 703

Grade: C+

Willow returns home but cannot find her friends in Sunnydale. At the same time, they cannot find her, but bodies are being found without skin, and the resemblance to Willow's murder of Warren alarms Buffy and Xander.

Help

Episode: 704

Grade: B

Buffy becomes a counselor at Sunnydale High and meets a girl who predicts her own death. Buffy learns that sometimes, whatever you do, you can't always stop the bad.

Selfless

Episode: 705

Grade: B+

Buffy deals with Anyanka after she grants a lethal wish; Anya's background story is also revealed. The two end up fighting, with Xander unsure of where his loyalties lie.

Him

Episode: 706

Grade: B-

The young women of Sunnydale are falling for the high school quarterback as a result of a 'magic' jacket; Xander and Spike become reluctant roommates, but try to sort out the confusion.

Conversations with Dead People

Episode: 707

Grade: A-

Buffy, Dawn, and Willow face individual encounters with familiar faces from their past. Also, Jonathan and Andrew return to Sunnydale to unearth a mysterious symbol.

Sleeper

Episode: 708

Grade: C+

Buffy probes a series of grisly murders that may be the work of Spike.

Never Leave Me

Episode: 709

Grade: B-

The Summers' home gains two captives: Spike and Andrew.

Bring on the Night

Episode: 710

Grade: B

Giles arrives with three apprentice Slayers; the Scoobies research the First; Buffy fights an ancient vampire.

Showtime

Episode: 711

Grade: B-

Buffy must win the confidence of Potential Slayers and kill the Ubervamp.

Potential

Episode: 712

Grade: C+

Buffy and Spike establish a boot camp to prepare the Potential Slayers for combat, while a spell from Willow reveals another Potential in Sunnydale. Dawn thinks it may be her for a short while, but then the true Potential is revealed.

The Killer in Me

Episode: 713

Grade: C

Willow must face her own demons; Buffy gets in touch with the government.

First Date

Episode: 714

Grade: C+

Buffy accepts a dinner invitation from Principal Wood; Anya is jealous when Xander has a date, but it turns out to not be so innocent.

Get it Done

Episode: 715

Grade: B

Buffy learns more about the First Slayer and the source of power.

Storyteller

Episode: 716

Grade: B-

Andrew makes a documentary on the events in Sunnydale.

Lies My Parents Told Me

Episode: 717

Grade: B

The gang investigates Spike's trigger; Principal Wood and Giles decide to eliminate Spike without Buffy's knowledge or approval, but fail. Buffy confronts them.

Dirty Girls

Episode: 718

Grade: A-

Faith returns to Sunnydale; a new powerful evil face appears, Caleb, a former priest who is unstoppable and works for The First; Buffy leads the troops into battle. Xander loses his eye to Caleb. Some of the Potentials are killed by Caleb.

Empty Places

Episode: 719

Grade: B+

As the residents of Sunnydale evacuate, and the Potentials suffer many casualties, Buffy loses the trust of the group and is forced out of the house. Faith becomes the leader.

Touched

Episode: 720

Grade: C

A depressed Buffy is comforted by Spike; Willow and Kennedy become intimate, as do Faith and Principal Wood. Anya and Xander rekindle their spark. The Scoobies capture and interrogate a Bringer; Faith decides on a plan, but it doesn't go smoothly.

End of Days

Episode: 721

Grade: B+

Buffy finds a battleaxe in the cave and faces off with Caleb; an old ally returns to Sunnydale to help.

Chosen

Episode: 722

Grade: A-

Buffy talks to Angel about the future. Buffy and the Scooby Gang devise a plan to launch an all-out assault against the First. They all descend on the Hellmouth, as Willow uses a spell on the battleaxe to turn the Potential Slayers into actual Slayers and they engage in a vicious battle against thousands of Ubervamps. Spike uses the amulet Angel brought from L.A. and brings about the end of Sunnydale, and the Hellmouth.