Buffy the Vampire Slayer is celebrating its 20 - class anniversary tomorrow , and while the tale ( and the fashion ) might technically be go steady , the show is somehow more relevant than ever . Creator Joss Whedon tapped into a world where myths and monsters could be used to lay out real job , with a brainy style of his signature tune humor and centre . In celebration of 20 years of Buffy slayage , let ’s travel to Sunnydale and celebrate this incredible show together ( hopefully before the shoal blow up again ) .
1) Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar does n’t get virtually enough credit for how incredible an actress she is , and how integral she was to Buffy the Vampire Slayer . No one , I restate , no one else could ’ve brought Buffy to life as much as she did . Gellar handled the comedic and action - filled scenes like a pro , but her real strength was in the show ’s more dramatic moments . Gellar ’s performance was go with real , raw emotion . Nobody ever recovers after watching her in “ The Body . ” Nobody .
2) The Scoobies
Xander first jokingly call the grouping the Scooby Gang in instalment two , and fortunately , the name stuck … becoming their lovely squad moniker for the entire run of the show . Who does n’t need to be a Scooby ?
3) Cordelia Chase
All of the Scoobies are amazing in their own right , but special attention need to be paid to Cordelia ( she would involve nothing less ) . She started out as Buffy ’s high - school curse , a modern diva who dressed like a association football mom and handle about nothing beyond her own selfish needs . As the show went on , her character maturate into a full - fledged extremity of the mob . She was still kind of snobby and selfish , but she was 100 percent dedicated to her friend and their mission . Then , when she moved to Angel , she simply blossomed , becoming one of the most fascinating people in the franchise .
4) “Close your eyes.”
Three of the saddest words in Buffy fandom .
5) Anya’s Bunny Problem
I loved how Anya was terrified of bunny girl . It was weird and random enough to perfectly jibe her nonconcentric part . Granted , that admiration was ruined a bit after Anya ’s bunny rabbit - occupy backstory was bring out in the season seven episode “ Selfless”—come on , guy wire , we did n’t demand a reason for Anya to hate rabbits . In any typesetter’s case , we got to see Anya in a giant bunny costume as it was the most terrifying Halloween costume she could envisage , so it was all deserving it .
6) Willow and Tara
I do n’t worry if you ’re Team Angel or Team Spike , none of Buffy ’s couplings can retain a candle to Willow and Tara . It was the secure family relationship on the show , period .
7) All the Random Celebrity Cameos
Amy Adams is n’t the only famous fame who cut their dentition fighting or becoming vampires on Buffy the Vampire Slayer . Other rando appearances admit Kal Penn , Amber Tamblyn , Shane West . Even Oberyn from Game of Thrones ( pictured ) stopped by Sunnydale for a visit in the time of year four instalment “ The Freshman . ” I do n’t blame him . It ’s a popular spot . They ’ve got umber .
8) Vampire Willow
She was precious , she was deadly , and “ a footling homo . ” What ’s not to love ? Whedon took the buff - favorite character from “ The Wish ” and brought her into our cosmos for one episode , mostly because she was just too cool to leave deadened in Cordelia ’s alternate realness . Bonus point for putting her in Willow ’s nightmarish pinkish fuzzy jumper that , inexplicably , you ’ll soon be able to buy atHot Topic .
9) The Fashions
You ca n’t single any of them out ( except for the aforesaid Willow perspirer ) , they ’re all iconically terrible — a perfect violent storm of recent ‘ 90s and early 2000s fashion mishaps . The full - length denim skirts , the asymmetrical tank tops … the Hawaiian shirts , oh god , any of Xander ’s shirts , really . There ’s an entireTwitter accountdedicated to Buffy ’s awful ensembles , and it ’s deserving pore through for hours .
10) “Hush”
“ Hush ” was nominated for a piece of writing Emmy , even though it only has 17 mo of dialogue . That ’s all you demand to know to understand how groundbreaking this time of year four installment was . The Gentlemen , some of the show ’s creepy-crawly villains , slip everyone ’s voice so they can wordlessly steal some hearts , and the Scoobies contend to express their feelings to each other in the wake of losing something as integral as human communication . A bluff and speculative episode of TV , the instalment ends up tell so much with so small .
11) The Death of Joyce Summers
Buffy the Vampire Slayer might ’ve been a show where people die left and right , but there were still consequence when decease became a real and pervasive cataclysm . Most notably is Buffy ’s mom , who was found dead in her firm after yield to a tumor . “ The Body ” was a powerful episode about how people deal with grief , especially against force beyond their control . It ’s the one sequence people are truly afraid to put on , because it will continue with you for days .
12) “You have fruit punch mouth.”
The Master is the quintessential Buffy the Vampire Slayer villain . He ’s the first baddie Buffy faced , and the one who first killed our dear Slayer . But … he had yield punch mouth . Thank goodness Buffy finally point it out for us , in the season one finale “ Prophecy Girl , ” because it totally needed to be say .
13) Xander’s Magical Military Powers
In the time of year two sequence “ Halloween , ” diabolical slicker Ethan Rayne enchanted all of his costume to metamorphose their wearers into becoming their outfit … basically turn Buffy into a damsel in hurt while a caboodle of demon kids attack stranger . The episode , while pretty inconsequential , ended up having one long - standing benefit : Xander retained a clump of his knowledge that he adopt while dressed as a soldier , which he used haphazardly in ulterior episode to help the Scoobies out of some jam . Xander … taking cosplay to the extreme point . Made him 100 % cooler in my book .
14) Mr. Pointy
Buffy may have been surrounded by the Scoobies , but Mr. Pointy was her one true friend . He see her through thick and thin , and good deal of lamia dustings . Plus , it rick out some of the series ’ best jokes … like that infamous stake - mime scene from “ Hush . ”
15) The Trio
This is n’t a nod to flavour six ’s villainous triplet as a whole , but rather to each of the character individually . As a group , they were pretty stunned and useless . By themselves , they were some of the most interesting characters in posterior season of Buffy . Jonathan was a unremitting comportment on the show , grow from a nerdy background lineament to a primal supporting quality , with a fanciful pit stop in season five ’s “ Superstar ” ( one of my personal favorites ) . There was Andrew , a spin - off of a previous villain who morph into a true hero by season seven . Then you ’ve got Warren , a genuinely terrible man who challenged the show ’s approximation of what it mean to be a scoundrel .
16) Spike and Buffy Literally Breaking a House While Fucking
Buffy was all about metaphor , it was one of the show ’s bighearted strengths . This one may have been one of the clunkiest ( literally the walls are crumbling around them as they cave into their sexual needs ) , but it hint how their family relationship was reciprocally toxic and would only end in destruction . Plus , it was raging as hell .
17) The First Use of “Google” as a Verb
You get a line that rightfulness . The first use of “ googling ” was hear on Buffy the Vampire Slayer by our technie - turn - witchie Willow . Buffy made history , family .
18) That Time They Sang
today , we might see musical installment as a staple instead of a gamble , with display like Supergirl and Once Upon a clip taking them on … but when Whedon first hawk a Sung - fill up episode of Buffy , some of the actor worried it would ruin their careers . rather , season six ’s episode “ Once More , With flavor ” ended up becoming one of the show ’s most iconic episodes , with Sung dynasty that defined the characters ’ stories and journeys … and feature some talented performances , notably from Anthony Head as Giles .
It especially terminate up a tangible turning detail for Buffy herself , who was in the midst of an national crisis after being brought back from the dead . It ’s no surprisal that Gellar , who was n’t a singer , took weeks of lessons because she did n’t desire someone else to babble for Buffy .
19) The Yellow Crayon
The Dark Willow plot line is one of the most divisive in Buffy fandom ( I personally love it , though I see why hoi polloi do n’t ) , but there ’s no denying its stopping point was beautiful and inspiring . Xander , the solitary Scooby without supernatural abilities , calm and restores Willow using nothing but his unconditional love for her and a story from their puerility involving a yellow wax crayon . time of year six carried themes about the power of humanity , so it made sense that Xander was the only thing who could contribute Willow back from the verge .
20) Everything Else
No list can ever determine the number of thing I can bonk about Buffy the Vampire Slayer . There are too many to count . Joyce and Giles banging on a railcar , Glory ’s intact gloriousness , Buffy ’s beautiful bye to Dawn in “ The Gift . ” It ’s an unbelievable piece of television . I do n’t give care if The Initiative suck , or the fact that there was a eldritch trollop - shame subplot in time of year two ’s “ Go Pisces the Fishes . ” Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the best show of the New generation , and its influence will be felt for years .
Joss WhedonTelevision
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , science , and cultivation news in your inbox day by day .
newsworthiness from the futurity , delivered to your present tense .
Please pick out your want newssheet and pass on your e-mail to upgrade your inbox .
You May Also Like
