Hypable’s Fandom Flashbacks returns as we look back to the days of Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

Fandom Flashbacks are a weekly Hypable feature that take a look back at old shows (classic, vintage, and freshly dead) and takes our readers down memory lane as we express our favorite moments, characters, and plots.

“In every generation there is a chosen one… she alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the slayer.” Buffy Summers knows this tale by heart, and no matter how hard she tries to be just a “normal girl,” she can’t escape from her destiny. Luckily, she isn’t alone in her quest to save the world, as she has the help of her friends, the hilarious evil-fighting team called the “scooby gang.” Buffy and the gang will slay demons, survive one apocalypse after another, and attend high school and college together. Most of all, they understand that growing up can truly be Hell – sometimes literally.

You mean there’s actually someone in this town who doesn’t know already? Whew, that’s a relief! I’m telling you, having a secret identity in this town is a lot of work.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a show built on strong characters and talented actors. Buffy is the girl who wants desperately to be a normal teen and yet her duties as a slayer constantly interfere with that. Then you have Willow and Xander, her affable sidekicks. Willow is excellent at research and develops into her own supernatural powers while Xander remains the only human in the bunch and brings the funny to any situation.

And where would a vampire slayer be without vampires. Both Angel and Spike play interesting roles in Buffy’s life. Obviously Buffy should be staking them not kissing them, but something about these two vampires makes Buffy a little crazy. Angel is the brooding vampire with a soul, while Spike is the power hungry sass master who’s killed more than one slayer.

	Buffy Buffy is the slayer meant to fight demons and vampires. Buffy tries to keep her regular life as well as complete her slayer duties. Throughout the series Buffy makes several choices that change the mythology behind slayers and they do not always work out.		Angel Angelus, also as known as Angel, was one of the most brutal vampires of all time for his heinous crimes. He was cursed in the late 1800s by a gypsy after killing one of their people. He was left to live his life as a vampire with his soul causing him much guilt.
	Willow Willow is Buffy’s best friend and member of the “scooby gang.” At first she is a meek computer nerd who is great at research. Over time Willow discovers magic which leads her to be a powerful witch. Willow’s powers are not always used for good.		Xander Xander befriends Buffy when she arrives in Sunnydale. He is also a member of the “scooby gang.” Xander is the only member that doesn’t develop supernatural powers. He is frequently cast in the funny sidekick role.
	Spike A famous and feared vampire best known for killing two slayers. Starting off as one of Buffy’s biggest foes he transitioned into a reluctant ally. Eventually Spike realized his feelings for Buffy and they had several on-again/off-again relationships.		Giles Born into the legacy of being a Watcher, Giles moves to Sunnydale to be Buffy’s watcher. He is also the school librarian. In an attempt to rebel against his family Giles was a rogue magician before becoming a watcher.
	Dawn Joining the group as Buffy’s sister, Dawn was originally a magical entity known as The Key. Dawn was sent to Buffy for protection and later became only human. Dawn stayed with Buffy helping with cases and eventually finding her way in the world.		Cordelia Cordelia was the mean girl at Sunnydale High. Eventually Cordelia discovers the supernatural world and is brought in to work with the “scooby gang.” She dates Xander for a short time and after graduation moves to Los Angeles to work with Angel.

This one is pretty easy, Buffy. She is an amazing character who has the experiences of a regular teenager, all while fighting demons. Buffy doesn’t let being a powerful slayer consume her, she would give anything to be a teenage girl hanging out with her friends.

Once More, With Feeling was voted #1 in TV Guide’s viewer’s poll for the 50 Top Musical Moments on Television from 1990-2002 in 2002.

Buffy befriends the less popular people in school because she doesn’t tolerate Cordelia’s nasty attitude towards others. She, Xander, and Willow forge a true friendship and she lets them in on her powers. These friendships help make Buffy a better person. She makes mistakes and is flawed but she always tries to do what is right.

Buffy embodies being a strong female without losing her femininity. She struggles with what it means to be a slayer and being a teenager. For the most part Buffy is alone in this. She is the only slayer and the weight of the world, quite literally, rests on her shoulders. Buffy has a built in support systems but no one is really in the same position as her. She struggles in the choices she has to make and sometimes makes the wrong one. All of this is what makes her human and allows the viewer to connect with her.

“Hush”
By far one of the creepiest episodes of Buffy, it is also the most unique. For the majority of the show no one can speak. Written and directed by Whedon himself, the episode starts with Buffy having a dream in class. A little girl sings an odd nursery rhyme about The Gentleman. Buffy wakes from the dream and calls Giles to research it. The next morning everyone wakes with no voice. The entire episode is done in silence. Some of the season’s biggest reveals come in complete silence during this episode. It is incredibly unique and some truly incredible acting took place during this episode.

“Once More, With Feeling”
“Once More, With Feeling” was also written and directed by Joss Whedon. In this episode, a mysterious force compels Sunnydale residents to sing songs that reveal their true feelings and deep secrets. While singing and dancing is fun, some people are singing and dancing so much that they spontaneously combust because of the dramatic release of their pent-up emotions.

All the characters have major “romantic” moments in this episode whether it be Xander and Anya expressing their fears about their upcoming wedding, or Tara expressing to Willow how much of a difference she’s made in her life. Buffy also has a very revealing moment when she sings about how her friends actually ripped her from heaven when they resurrected her.

For an episode that should seem silly with all the singing and dancing it manages to bring a certain level of emotion. Certain feelings and secrets are revealed as each song brings something new to the plot. “Once More, With Feeling” was unique in that musical episodes were rarely, if ever, done on TV. Many have tried to replicate the success of this episode but none have come close to the quality.

Check out page 2 for funniest moments and more!

Buffy was built on sassy dialogue and great characters. Picking one funny moment is impossible so we’ve picked a few that stand out to us as the funniest. From Spike, to Xander and even Giles there are some moments that just stick with us.

Even though Spike was a bad vampire and often Buffy’s nemesis, he managed to bring the funny. In “Lover’s Walk,” Spike returns to Sunnydale once again driving through the welcome sign. Spike returns because Drusilla has left him and he is heartbroken. Spike eventually kidnaps Willow to cast a love spell so Spike can get Drusilla back. This is one of the few episodes that we see Spike wallowing about love. He ends up working with Buffy and Angel and after observing their friendship comments, “You’ll fight, you’ll shag, you’ll hate each other till it makes you quiver, but you’ll never be friends.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar initially auditioned for Cordelia, but Whedon and company felt she would make a better Buffy.

In “Where the Wild Things Are,” Giles plays ’70s rock karaoke. After the destruction of the library Giles needed something to occupy his time so he goes to an open mic night to show off his non-watcher skills. The gang walks in to see Giles giving a rather heartfelt performance of “Behind Blue Eyes.” Looks on their faces are priceless as they realize how Giles as been spending his time.

Xander was never much of a fighter but his cat fight with Harmony in the episode entitled “The Initiative” was hysterical. Xander and Harmony the vampire are seemingly well matched in the slow-motion duel of hair-pulling and slaps. Xander, as always, is snarky and quick with a comment.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was an emotional rollercoaster from the start but there are certain moments that brought us to tears.

After waiting over a year for Buffy and Angel to finally get together, fans are given a brief moment of happiness only to have Angel change back to his murderous, vampire self. For the rest of season 2 Angel taunts Buffy and friends by threatening their lives and even taking them. In revenge for being cursed, Angel kills Jenny and leaves her body for Giles to find. Giles is destroyed by this and vows to kill Angel. In the end, however, it is Buffy who has to kill her ex-lover but not before Willow returns his soul. Buffy then has to kill “good” Angel and watching Buffy kill a restored Angel was brutal on our hearts.

Killing Angel wasn’t the toughest loss for Buffy that came later when Buffy loss her mother. Buffy returns home to find her mother laying on the couch with open eyes. She is unresponsive and cold. Buffy calls 9-1-1 but is unable to resuscitate her. There is a brief moment when it appears that Joyce has woken up but we discover that it is only in Buffy’s head. Joyce’s death affects everyone as she was really a mother to them all. Buffy has to tell Dawn who breaks down in the middle of school. The two girls have to now face the future on their own and Buffy has lost the only normal person in her life.

“Your shirt…”

The ultimate emotional scene though came in the form of Tara’s death. Buffy had been fighting a nerd group who called themselves the Trio. In their demented world they are super villains and Buffy is their nemesis. Tara and Willow have just reconciled when one of the Trio, Warren, shows up at Buffy’s house with gun. He shoots Buffy and a stray bullet strikes Tara in the heart. Willow holds Tara as she dies and then becomes Dark Willow. The anger and pain Willow feels consumes us as viewers. Willow is broken from Tara’s death and decides that the only way to end her pain is to destroy the world. In the end Xander is the only one who can get through to Willow and stop her from destroying everything.

Dawn Summers. Those who watched Buffy from the beginning knew something wasn’t right when suddenly Buffy had a sister at the end of the season 5 premiere. Dawn was introduced to the audience as if she had always been there and throughout the season there was a slow unraveling of who and what Dawn was, both for the audience and the scooby gang. When Dawn discovers what she is, she becomes distressed and starts to engage in self harm. Buffy reassures her that they are sisters and nothing has changed.

Despite sporting a fairly flawless British accent, James Marsters is not actually British.

As the season continues, Dawn’s life is in jeopardy from Glory who is seeking the Key. In the season finale Buffy must figure out how to save not only Dawn but the world. In a major twist Buffy realizes that she and Dawn have the same blood and she can sacrifice herself instead of Dawn. In the finale moments of the episode Buffy throws herself into the portal, her friends grieve and the show ends on a shot of Buffy’s grave.

All seasons are available on DVD. There are even several complete series purchase options. The series is also available to stream in its entirety on Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available on select few television channels including Pivot, FX and Logo. Check your local listings for times.

There is always a great debate over which episode of Buffy is the best so we won’t ask that question, instead we want to know which episode is the best out of the fifteen we have chosen. You can tell us your all time favorites in the comments.

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