Season One: Welcome to the Hellmouth, The Harvest

:: Written by Joss Whedon
:: Directed by Charles Martin Smith/John Kretchmer

Buffy Summers arrives in Sunnydale with her mother for a fresh start, having been kicked out of her old school for burning down the gym (she was actually fighting vamps), unaware that the town she has arrived in is on top of a Hellmouth, a centre for mystical and demonic activity. The 16-year-old quickly makes friends with Willow Rosenburg and Xander Harris, meets her new watcher and begins the battle against evil with help from a mysterious stranger.

Buffy's first battle is with Luke, a vampire who is helping The Master escape from his underground prison by allowing the Master to feed through him and escape. Luke intends to trap the members of The Bronze, a local night-club, and feed off them. With the help of Willow and Xander, her new-found Slayerettes, Buffy foils the evil vampire's plan, although she loses the friendship of the school’s most popular girl Cordelia along the way.

Buffy: "Who are you?"
Angel: "Let's just say I'm a friend."
Buffy: "Well, maybe I don't want a friend!"
Angel: "I didn't say I was yours."

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The Witch

:: Written by Dana Reston
:: Directed by Stephen Cragg

As Buffy and Willow's friend Amy try out for the cheerleading squad, strange things seem to be happening to all the successful cheerleaders, such as people’s hands spontaneously combusting, and their mouths disappearing. Giles and the gang quickly decided that the cause is witchcraft and begin to track down their first suspect: Amy. However, Amy realises what they are doing and casts a spell on Buffy which makes her first very high and then very weak. Giles realises that Buffy only has a few more hours to live and the Scooby Gang discover that the witch is in fact Amy's mother, Catherine, who has been trying to relive her days of cheerleading success in her daughter's body. Giles manages to reverse the spell and a revived Buffy manages to reflect Catherine's spell back onto herself and imprison the witch in a cheerleading trophy.

Giles: "Why should someone want to harm Cordelia?"
Willow: "Maybe because they met her? Did I say that?"

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Teacher's Pet

:: Written by David Greenwalt
:: Directed by Bruce Seth Green

After the death of the previous Biology teacher a very attractive substitute teacher turns the heads of all the boys in the school, including Xander’s. However, Miss French also seems to be able to turn her head… 180 degrees, that is. Buffy also becomes suspicious of the fact that the demon that she and Angel had been hunting runs away from the teacher in terror. After research, and thanks to her recent Biology lessons on bugs, Buffy discovers that Miss French is in fact a giant Preying Mantis who is trying to mate with virgin boys at the school so that she can lay her eggs.

Unfortunately, the female Preying Mantis bites off its partner’s head once she has finished laying her eggs, and Buffy realises that Xander has walked straight into a trap, as he has gone round to Miss French’s house to help her with a project. Luckily Buffy manages to track down the mantis, and while Giles plays recorded bat sonar to confuse the insect, Buffy chops it up into small pieces.

Xander: "What kind of a girly name is 'Angel' anyway?

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Never Kill a Boy on the First Date

:: Written by Rob Des Hotel & Dean Batali
:: Directed by David Semel

Buffy tries to regain some kind of social life when she goes out with Owen, a guy who has also attracted Cordelia's attention. Unfortunately for Buffy, however, her slaying powers are needed more than ever the Anointed One, a powerful vampire sent to aid the Master, is about to rise. However, while Buffy and Giles wait for the Anointed One in the graveyard, in another part of town a busload of people is attacked by vampires. Five people die, fulfilling the prophecy that “Five will die, and from their ashes the Anointed shall rise.”

On her first date with Owen, Buffy is called away by the Gang to rescue Giles from vampires, and is followed by Owen. As Buffy and Giles search for the Anointed One’s body, Xander, Willow and Owen find themselves trapped with a newly risen vampire. Eventually, Buffy manages to kill this vampire, assuming that he is the Anointed One. Owen expresses his liking for Buffy’s wild life, and wants to continue dating her, but for Owen’s safety, Buffy is forced to dump him. In the Master's lair, the Master greets a young boy...the Anointed One.

Giles: "I'll just jump in my time machine, go back to the twelfth century, and ask the vampires to postpone their ancient prophecy for a few days while you take in dinner and a show."
Buffy: "Okay, at this point you're abusing sarcasm."

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The Pack

:: Written by Matt Kiene & Joe Reinkmeyer
:: Directed by Bruce Seth Green

Xander and a group of school bullies go into a restricted area of the Zoo on the school trip, and are all strangely affected when they look in to the eyes of the quarantined Hyenas which are housed there. Buffy starts to worry about Xander when he begins to behave very obnoxiously although Giles assumes that he is just becoming a sixteen-year-old boy. However, when the 'pack' eat the school mascot and Xander tries (and fails) to sexually assault Buffy, he finally accepts that there is a problem. They realise that the spirits of the hyena's must have been transferred to the group, making them act as they are.

The pack have another meal, without Xander, who has been locked up by Buffy, this time eating Principal Flutie himself. The rest of the Scooby Gang try to lure the pack back into the zoo in order to return the spirits of the hyenas to the actual animals, but are stopped by the zookeeper who transfers the spirits into his own body instead. Xander, now hyena-free, saves Willow from becoming the zookeeper's first meal, and Buffy manages to throw the keeper into the hyena pit where he is eaten. The next day Xander pretends to have remembered nothing about his animalistic experience, although he secretly asks Giles not to tell them that he remembers everything.

Giles: "It's devastating. He's turned into a sixteen-year-old boy. Of course you'll have to kill him."

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Angel

:: Story by David Greenwalt
:: Directed by Scott Brazil

In the Master's lair, Darla's failure to kill the slayer leads the Master to sent 'The Three' after Buffy. Meanwhile Buffy leaves the pre-fumigation party at the Bronze with the feeling that someone is following her. In an alleyway she is attacked by three vampires, who almost overpower her but for the timely arrival of Angel. Angel is hurt, and he and Buffy escape to her house where Buffy notices a tattoo on Angel's back while she is cleaning his wound, and he admits to liking her. Concealing Angel from her mother, Buffy allows him to spend the night in her room.

The next day the Three offer their lives in penance for failing to kill the slayer, while Buffy and Giles start their weapons training. That evening Buffy returns to Angel and they kiss, but half way through the kiss Angel turns into game face and jumps out of the window, leaving a stunned Buffy behind him.

Darla tries to persuade Angel to join her again, and when he refuses she goes to Buffy's house and attacks her mother, hoping to force Angel to kill Buffy. Angel arrives at the scene of the crime too late, and Buffy is convinced that he attacked her mother. Determined to kill Angel, Buffy goes to the Bronze where she meets him and discovers that he has a soul, having been cursed by gypsies. Darla appears with guns, intent on killing Buffy, but before she can, Angel kills her with a crossbow. Buffy and Angel admit that there can never be anything between them, and have one last kiss.

Darla: "Do you know what the saddest thing in the world is?"
Buffy: "Bad hair on top of that outfit?"

* * * * *

I, Robot -- You, Jane

:: Written by Ashley Gable & Thomas A. Swyden
:: Directed by Stephen Posey

The new computer teacher, Miss Calendar, is helping Giles and some others scan books into the computer system when Willow accidentally and unknowingly scans a mind controlling demon named Moloch, which had been trapped in a book, into the computer. Later in the week Buffy becomes worried about Willow's infatuation with a guy called Malcolm who she met on the internet.

Malcolm turns out to be the demon Moloch, who, with the help of two other pupils he enchanted, is trying to make Willow his partner. She refuses, and as Xander and Buffy arrive on the scene to save their friend, a fight begins. Miss Calendar reveals that she knows about the Hellmouth, Slayer and all, and helps Giles perform a ritual to stop the demon. Meanwhile Buffy manages to trick Moloch into hitting an electrical box, making him short-circuit and blow up.

Giles: "Things involving the computer fill me with a childlike terror. Now, if it were a nice ogre or some such, I'd be more in my element."

* * * * *

The Puppet Show

:: Written by Dean Batali & Rob Des Hotel
:: Directed by Ellen Pressman

While Giles is forced to judge, and the rest of the Scooby gang to enter the annual talent show by Principal Snyder, one of the show entrants is found with her heart cut out. They suspect a group of demons known as the Brotherhood of Seven who need to eat a human heart and brain every 7 years to remain in human form. Top suspect is a boy who's act is a talking dummy. When the boy is found dead, Buffy begins to think that the dummy, Sid, is committing the crimes. However, Sid turns out to be a demon hunter imprisoned in the dummy's body, who had suspected Buffy of being the demon. The gang discover that as the brain the demons have is diseased, they still need the most intelligent brain they can find. Everyone assumes that the demons will be after Willow.

Meanwhile a student who is performing magic stunts asks Giles’ aid for one of the tricks and straps him down, intending to chop off Giles' head to get to his brain. However, Buffy arrives in time and the magician (who has now turned into his true demon form) is guillotined instead.

Buffy: "Giles, to every generation is born one who must run the annual talentless show. You cannot escape your destiny."
Giles: "If you had any shred of decency, you would have participated, or at least helped."
Buffy: "Nah! I think I'll take on your traditional role, and watch."
Xander: "And mock."
Willow: "And laugh."

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Nightmares

:: Story by Joss Whedon
:: Teleplay by David Greenwalt
:: Directed by Bruce Seth Green

While Buffy is preoccupied with her plans to spend the weekend with her father very strange things happen. Spiders appear out of one boy's book while another girl is attacked and the Gang realise that everyone's nightmares are coming true. All of these nightmares are connected to a boy (Billy) who is apparently in a coma, but who Buffy has seen around the school. As the gang's worst fears come true, Buffy fights the 'Ugly Man' who Billy is so scared of, before turning into a vampire, Giles worst nightmare. The gang rush to the hospital to try to wake Billy, the cause of all the problems, and finally Billy's spirit faces up to his fear of the 'Ugly Man' and the real child wakes. All the nightmares had been caused by Billy, who had been traumatised by his coach and blamed for his team's loss.

Willow: "Personal question?"
Xander: "Yeah, shoot."
Willow: "When Buffy was a vampire, you weren't still, like, attracted to her, were you?"
Xander: "Willow, how can you--I mean, that's really bent! She was...grotesque!"
Willow: "Still dug her, huh?"
Xander: "I'm sick. I need help."
Willow: "Don't I know it."

* * * * *

Invisible Girl

:: Story by Joss Whedon
:: Teleplay by Ashley Gable & Thomas A. Swyden
:: Directed by Reza Badiyi

Strange things happen to all the popular girls at school, and everything points to an invisible person. The invisible girl is Marcie Ross, a girl who had no friends, and was ignored so much that she just faded away.

Marcie's plan is to get her revenge on the person who taunted her the most (Cordelia) by kidnapping her and giving her 'a face no one will ever forget'. Buffy manages to stop Marcie before she destroys Cordelia's face- though not before she slashes Cordelia's cheek. Marcie also practically killed Xander, Willow, and Giles by locking the in a room full of gas. Angel however saved them just in time.

While Buffy is untying Cordelia to FBI men come and take Marcie away. They take her to a special school with other people just like her. When Marcie is escorted into the room she receives a book. She opens to Chapter 11: Assassination and Infiltration. "Cool!" says an excited Marcie.

Cordelia: "People who think their problems are so huge craze me, like this time I sort of ran over this girl on her bike. It was the most traumatizing event of my life, and she's trying to make it about her leg. Like my pain meant nothing.

* * * * *

Prophecy Girl

:: Written & Directed by Joss Whedon

On the eve of the Sunnydale prom, Giles translates a very disturbing prophecy from The Pergamum Codex stating that the Master will rise and the Slayer will die. Meanwhile Xander asks Buffy to the prom, and is distraught when she refuses him. Giles tries to keep the prophecy a secret from Buffy, but she overhears him discussing it with Angel. Buffy tells them she won't do it and that she quits. She doesn't want to die.

However, the news of two students dying at the hands of vampires in the school makes her change her mind and she goes to fight the Master. The Anointed One leads her to the Master's lair. The Master tells her that she was the key to him freeing himself and he drinks some of her blood and leaves her dead in a pool of water. However, she is revived by Xander who gives her CPR and as soon as she is awake they all go to Sunnydale High to stop the Master.

They find that the Hellmouth is opening right underneath the library. While Buffy goes to the rooftop to find the Master, Angel, Xander, Willow, Jenny, and Giles try to fight off a big purple monster that is rising out of the library floor. Buffy confronts the Master, who is very surprised to see her. They fight and this time the Master loses. He falls through the skylight over the library and impales himself on a sharp wooden stake. Only his bones are left. At that moment the purple monster disappears back into the depths of hell and the vamps scatter. Buffy saved the world.

Xander: "You were looking at my neck."
Angel: "What?"
Xander: "You were checking out my neck, I saw that."
Angel: "No, I wasn't."
Xander: "Just keep your distance, pal."
Angel: "I wasn't looking at your neck."
Xander: "I told you to eat before we left."

Master: "You were destined to die. It was written!"
Buffy: "What can I say? I flunked the written."

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