Top 10 Most Shocking Buffy the Vampire Slayer Moments
#10: The Reality of Normal Again “Normal Again”
Top 10 Unforgettable Buffy the Vampire Slayer Moments
In “Normal Again,” Buffy goes back and forth between a mental health facility and Sunnydale, as she tries to grapple with whether or not her life as a vampire slayer is real. In the end, she has to make a choice. Does she stay with her parents or return to her friends and sister Dawn to save the world? Things get a little scary for a minute, but she ultimately chooses to be a slayer, of course. Still, the episode itself has fans pondering ‘what if’ situations. Plus, watching Buffy “travel” between these two worlds, herself not knowing which one is reality, is incredibly jarring – and has us questioning her surroundings, too.
#9: Dawn’s First Appearance “Buffy vs. Dracula”
Season five starts with a bang as we face the villainous Dracula – but that’s not the most unbelievable part. During the final moments of the episode, Buffy finds someone we’ve never seen before in her room, and questions what she’s doing there. Then, out of nowhere, her mom Joyce tells her to take her sister out with her. Huh?! Sister?! Buffy has a younger sibling and we’re only finding out about her in season 5? It’s a reveal that truly leaves every first-time viewer baffled. Scroll through any forum or Reddit page about it, and you’ll see folks talking about how they thought they had accidentally skipped a few episodes. What an introduction to Dawn!
#8: Jonathan’s School Troubles “Earshot”
Jonathan ends up taking center stage in season 3’s “Earshot.” At this point in the story, Jonathan is basically just a regular dude battling his own inner demons. When the gang realizes someone is up to no good at the school, they try to stop a disaster from happening before it’s too late. Buffy spots Jonathan holding a weapon and races to stop him, and he winds up revealing how much pain he’s in. In a surprising twist, it’s later revealed that he wasn’t the one trying to cause mass harm. Thankfully, Buffy’s words stop him from hurting himself. Her speech and his confession are heartbreaking to watch - they’ll definitely have you holding your breath the entire time.
#7: The Loss of Angel’s Soul “Surprise” & “Innocence”
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Buffy has a number of romantic prospects throughout the course of the show, but one of the earliest – and most memorable – is vampire Angel. We watch their devotion to one another grow, and in the second season, they become intimate for the first time. Of course, it wouldn’t be “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” if a moment of joy wasn’t promptly followed by chaos and pain. Indeed, it isn’t long before Angel turns into Angelus again, as he loses his soul and becomes Buffy’s enemy. It’s a disconcerting moment that surely reminds many of us of our own first loves and heartbreaks. Except, you know, hopefully those exes aren’t evil vampires trying to eliminate us.
#6: Tara's Final Moments “Seeing Red”
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Ask any Buffy fan about “Seeing Red” – we dare you. Tara became a crucial part of the series, as both Willow’s love and a compelling character in her own right. So we definitely didn’t expect the creative team to brutally kill her off as they did here. She and Willow are back together and working things out. And then, just like that, she’s fatally shot by Warren – who was attacking Buffy. They definitely got the surprise element down, but at what cost?! The loss profoundly changes Willow, causing her to become “Dark”. We don’t think any viewer was left unaffected, either.
#5: Jenny’s Death “Passion”
Giles being in a relationship is a relatively rare sight, and we love seeing him with Jenny Calendar. So imagine the fandom’s reaction when Angel – now Angelus after having lost his soul – takes Jenny’s life. Why would he do that, you ask? Well, Jenny was trying to find a cure for him. Her death scene is pure evil, but the aftermath only adds to the traumatic nature of the ordeal. Angelus goes the extra mile, setting up an elaborate scene to make it look like Jenny planned a surprise for Giles. Needless to say, the latter gets the shock of his life when he realizes what’s transpired, while we as viewers realize how vile Angelus truly is.
#4: Giles vs. Ben “The Gift”
Giles is often a rather level-headed character, full of advice and ancient wisdom. After all, that’s his role. But in the season 5 finale, we see an entirely different side of him. In the episode, Buffy takes Glory down. But there’s the matter of Ben – who also shares his body with the villain. Unlike Buffy, Giles isn’t willing to let Ben go despite the latter’s assurances that they won’t be a problem. In order to protect the title character from having to deal with any Glory-related residue, he ends Ben’s life. Our jaws are on the floor, but it just goes to show how multi-dimensional Giles is, and the lengths he’ll go to to protect the Slayer.
#3: The Bathroom Scene “Seeing Red”
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Some storylines get burned into your brain and become impossible to forget – and not in a good way. This is one of those, uncomfortable and harrowing for everyone, even Spike’s actor James Marsters. After fighting the Trio, Buffy is recuperating in the bathroom. She’s interrupted by Spike who tries to force a confession of love out of her, but it doesn’t stop there. Buffy is clear about not being interested. But he won’t take no for an answer, taking advantage of her post-battle weakness and attacking her. Thankfully, she’s ultimately able to fight him off, but to this day, many criticize the plotline for its disturbing nature. Marsters himself revealed that acting the scene out nearly broke him.
#2: The Ultimate Sacrifice “The Gift”
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In the fifth season’s finale, Buffy has to save Dawn from being used in a ritual that would open a hellish dimension and make the world a horrific place. She shares some heart-wrenching final words with her sister – the contents of which we only hear after – before lunging into the dimension, knowing her death will close it. She and Dawn are blood, after all. Everyone is a mess afterwards, including us. We knew Buffy would go to any lengths necessary to save her little sis’ life and the world. But we can’t say we saw the self-sacrifice coming, or that we had the emotional tools to process it! Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Xander Saves Willow, “Grave” The Friendship Is Strong, but We Were Worried! Faith Takes Buffy’s Place, “This Year's Girl” A Body Swap from Hell Anya's Demise, “Chosen” Her Death Was Too Sudden & Brutal Warren's Death, “Villains” A Shocking Display of Willow’s Evil Capabilities Spike’s Soul Is Restored, “Grave” But It Was Far From Easy
#1: Joyce’s Passing “The Body”
If there’s a “Buffy” episode that shook our worlds, shattered us, and had our heads spinning, it’s definitely “The Body.” Joyce Summers dies without demon intervention, which makes the whole thing that much more surreal. Buffy simply discovers her mom, unresponsive, in the most banal of settings. She then has to deal with the aftermath, including telling Dawn what’s occurred. There’s no shortage of emotional moments throughout the runtime, with many fans singling out Anya’s powerful speech. Even Sarah Michelle Gellar admitted that the discovery scene is extremely hard for her to watch. We can’t say we blame her – we’ve never recovered from the shock. What’s a Buffy moment that takes you by surprise every time? Let us know in the comments!
