Buffy the Vampire Slayer made a strong impression in its day, becoming one of the most iconic shows of its time thanks to its memorable supernatural stories. To everyone’s surprise, Buffy is reportedly getting a reboot series directed by Oscar-winner filmmaker Chloé Zhao. Although fans are excited about the prospect of seeing their favorite characters again, only Sarah Michelle Gellar, who plays Buffy, has been confirmed as a part of the cast so far.
With the exciting news, it’s worth remembering the good and the bad times of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Despite being lauded for its superb writing and iconic characters, Buffy is no stranger to less-than-favorable entries in its long catalog of episodes. From stories full of aquatic monsters and cautionary tales related to sex and drug abuse, several episodes rubbed the fandom the wrong way.
Updated February 21, 2025, by Arthur Goyaz: Although Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the greatest fantasy shows of all time, every show that airs for as long as seven seasons will have its ups and downs. This list was updated to include other bad Buffy episodes and to reflect CBR’s current formatting standards.
15
“The Killer In Me” Showcases Everything Wrong With the Final Season
Season 7, Episode 13
Season 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer delivers an exciting conclusion to the show, but it’s filled with inconsistencies. The Potential Slayers storyline is too ambitious for its own good and the show can’t seem to move past the events of Season 6, quickly getting repetitive. In “The Killer In Me.” Willow Rosenberg is turned into Warren just when she thinks she is finally ready to move on. The episode follows Kennedy and her trying to find a way to revert this spell, stumbling upon a familiar face: Amy.
Related
28 Years Later, This Forgotten Buffy the Vampire Slayer Storyline Is Even More Frustrating
One episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer teased a government program for invisible kids, and fans are still thinking about it years later.
Meanwhile, the rest of the gang begins to suspect that Giles might be The First. This comes out of nowhere and goes nowhere. At least the scene where everyone is touching Giles to see if he has a corporeal form is funny. “The Killer In Me” is too focused on matters that have already been revolved. Bringing Warren back at this point feels extremely pointless. In addition, what Buffy does with Amy’s arc is unforgiving. She’s brought back in “The Killer In Me” as a surprise villain with pitiful motivations — she added more to the show when she was a rat. Hopefully, neither Amy nor Warren will return for the upcoming Buffy reboot.
14
“Helpless” Reduces Buffy to a Poor Damsel in Distress
Season 3, Episode 12
“Helpless” is generally regarded as a genuinely scary Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode, but even though it delivers some compelling horror scenes, everyone is completely out of character in this episode. It follows Buffy as she prepares to fight a deranged vampire without her Slayer abilities. The “Buffy loses her powers” concept is interesting, but it backfires when it reduces Buffy to this weak, dull-witted damsel in distress.
“Helpless” seems to suggest that if Buffy had not been chosen as the Slayer, she would have no redeeming qualities. This weakens the whole female-empowerment idea Buffy the Vampire Slayer proposes. “Helpless” is also one of BtVS‘s worst episodes because Giles’ betrayal makes no sense. It only happens to move the plot forward and remove him from the Council. It’s a thrilling episode when it comes to building tension, but the writing is simply indefensible.
13
Xander Falls in Love with a Mummy Princess in “Inca Mummy Girl”
Season 2, Episode 4
One of the most tired Buffy the Vampire Slayer trends is Xander’s propensity to fall in love with anyone who gives him the slightest bit of attention, including monsters and potential villains. In “Inca Mummy Girl”, a mummified Inca princess awakens from her slumber and tries to lead a normal student life while leaving a blood trail behind. Xander is immediately drawn to her — who disguises herself as a Sunnydale exchange student — unaware she’s at least 500 years old.
The early seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer can be quite silly at times. In the case of “Inca Mummy Girl,” it’s silly in a very negative way. The threat posed by the mummy is laughable and the romantic link between Xander and her is eye-rolling. Xander is not generally regarded as a fan-favorite character, and the exaltation of his naivety in early Buffy seasons is truly annoying.
12
“I Was Made to Love You” Introduces Two of the Worst Things About BtVS
Season 5, Episode 15
“I Was Made to Love You” introduces the horrible concept of the “Buffybot” and the worst character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer all at once. It follows the Scooby gang as they try to trace a bizarre love robot named April back to its creator. They eventually find Warren, a rogue inventor who becomes the leader of Season 6’s villainous Trio. Warren, the most spiteful Buffy character, created April to be the perfect girlfriend, unaware that she could develop violent tendencies.
The entire episode orbits around an excuse for Spike to get even weirder, asking Warren to develop a robot that looks just like Buffy so he can fulfill his sexual fantasies. Besides the fact that the Buffybot is briefly used to replace Buffy while she’s in the afterlife, its mere existence insults Buffy’s character. “I Was Made to Love You” wants to satirize male fantasies, but it gets so close to becoming the target of the satire that it quickly backfires.
11
Riley Finally Leaves the Show in “Into the Woods”
Season 5, Episode 10
Season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer suffers from not knowing what to do with Riley after the Initiative arc is over. As the episodes go by, it becomes clear how little charisma he has when compared to the rest of the group. Riley no longer adds up to the gang, and when he starts to frequent a vampire brothel to have his blood sucked for pleasure — a quirky allusion to heroin — it’s the final straw. “Into the Woods” sees Buffy finding out about Riley’s nocturnal activities.
As their relationship comes to blows, Riley wrongfully concludes that Buffy no longer loves him and decides to accept a new anti-demon organization. It could’ve been an emotionally powerful episode, but “Into the Woods” shockingly paints Riley as the “good guy” in this mess. The scene where Xander lectures Buffy about how Riley is the kind of guy who comes along “once in a lifetime” is embarrassing. It gets even worse when Buffy takes off to beg Riley to stay. “Into the Woods” is important for the overall story, as it marks the end of Buffy and Riley’s relationship, but it’s a genuinely bad Buffy episode.
Season 5, Episode 9
Penned by 90210 writer Rebecca X, “Listening to Fear” follows Buffy and friends as they deal with an extraterrestrial being. The creature lands in Sunnydale days before Buffy’s mother, Joyce, is to have brain surgery. The Queller demon becomes fixated with Joyce and attacks the hospital where she’s staying.
Related
Angel departed from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in tone and themes, but managed to live up to the original series and, for some fans, surpass it.
“Listening to Fear” is considered one of Season 5’s weakest stories. It’s a filler episode that doesn’t contribute much to the main arc related to Glory and mainly focuses on the mediocre monster of the week. It does show a more vulnerable side of some of the main characters but fails to stand out among similar episodes.
9
Buffy’s Geeky Former Classmate Becomes a Local Superhero In “Superstar”
Season 4, Episode 17
One of Buffy’s least popular former classmates becomes Sunnydale’s resident celebrity in “Superstar,” one of the weakest episodes in Buffy‘s fourth season. As she questions her relationship with Riley, Buffy must investigate why Jonathan Levinson, a geeky student from her high school days, has suddenly gained the admiration of the entire town.
The episode premiered in 2000 and was written by Jane Esperson, who also wrote two stories for the spin-off Angel. Despite its promising synopsis, the episode’s writing is acceptable at best and mediocre at worst. It would’ve worked better as a standalone, without any important developments in the plot. Jonathan as the episode’s titular “superstar” is also a weird choice given how little emphasis the show placed on him in Season 4.
8
“I, Robot… You, Jane” Attempts to Discuss the Dangers of the Internet and Fails
Season 1, Episode 8
After Willow gets hold of a book containing a demon called Moloch from the Dark Ages, she accidentally releases him onto the Internet. To make things worse, she begins an online relationship with his undercover alter-ego, Malcolm. When Buffy and Giles discover what happened, they must find a way to trap Moloch again.
“I, Robot… You, Jane” attempts to discuss the dangers of the Internet by adding a fantastical twist and fails spectacularly. The writing is corny and filled with tonal inconsistencies, making it a mess of an episode. It’s easily one of the worst episodes of the first season and has aged terribly from a 21st-century point of view.
7
“Goodbye Iowa” Introduces One of the Dullest Villains In the Show
Season 4, Episode 14
“Goodbye Iowa” picks up from the previous episode, “The I in Team,” and follows Buffy as she tracks down Professor Walsh’s killer, a “demonoid” called Adam. Meanwhile, Riley is going through withdrawal for not taking Initiative’s drugs, and Spike is shunned by other vampires for being the Slayer’s ally.
The episode suffers from a dull villain. Ambitiously, “Goodbye Iowa” tries to explore humanity from Adam’s perspective as a non-human character but ends up making him more annoying than compelling. One of the reasons why Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s fourth season is so controversial is that Professor Walsh was a much better villain than Adam. The storyline involving Riley’s drug addiction also drags the episode unfavorably.
6
Buffy & Riley Are Haunted by Poltergeists In “Where the Wild Things Are”
Season 4, Episode 18
In “Where The Wild Things Are,” Buffy and Riley accidentally awaken a slew of poltergeists with their passionate lovemaking at Riley’s fraternity house. With the help of the Scooby Gang, Buffy must fight these mischievous spirits and set them free lest they continue subjecting her to more unhinged sexual energy. The episode delivers a handful of funny moments, but it lacks a good horror flair.
As Buffy is too occupied during the events of “Where The Wild Things Are,” she takes the backseat in the action and allows the rest of her friends to run around trying to solve the problem. The episode provides an interesting commentary on sex from Xander and Anya as they discuss their relationship, but it gets too over-the-top for its own good. Buffy’s “Restless” is an effective counterpart to this episode, with a touch of surrealism that actually works.
5
“Go Fish” Reads Like a Particularly Cheap Replica of The X-Files
Season 2, Episode 20
Buffy battles a water monster in “Go Fish,” another one of the worst Buffy episodes. When members of Sunnydale’s all-star swimming team go missing, Buffy, Xander, and the rest of the gang try to find their whereabouts. Their investigation into their school’s athletes reveals more than they bargained for.
Related
10 Saddest Buffy the Vampire Slayer Character Exits, Ranked
Buffy the Vampire Slayer saw many characters depart the series, at times in emotionally crushing ways.
The episode discusses drugs, in this case, steroids, and their consequences, with a fantasy spin typical of the show. The tone and subject matter of Buffy‘s “Go Fish” garnered many comparisons to The X-Files but was unanimously considered lesser quality than the cult sci-fi show. The episode was also unfavorably placed before the fan-favorite two-parter, “Becoming.”
4
“Doublemeat Palace’s” Message About the Fast-Food Industry Made It a Season Low
Season 6, Episode 12
In “Doublemeat Palace,” Buffy takes a job in the local fast-food restaurant of the same name only to get in trouble. When her co-workers start disappearing, she suspects the restaurant’s famous secret ingredient might have something to do with it. Meanwhile, Willow struggles not to use magic. This bad Buffy episode’s attempts at satirizing and criticizing the fast-food industry were too on the nose and distracting to be effective.
The episode also suffers from an anticlimactic reveal that the Doublemeat Medley isn’t made of human flesh, but rather processed vegetables. Sometimes, it’s too obvious when the network tries to tone down an episode. While fans reacted positively to the introduction of Halfrek, a friend of Anya’s, this wasn’t enough to save “Doublemeat Palace” from being considered one of the low points of the season.
3
“Bad Eggs” Suffers from Terrible Villains & Pacing Issues
Season 2, Episode 12
It seems mandatory for every teen show to have its characters go through the egg parenting assignment at some time. In Buffy’s case, it was one of the lowest points of the show. As part of a health class assignment, the Scooby Gang is given chicken eggs to care for in Season 2’s “Bad Eggs.” When Buffy’s egg unexpectedly hatches a strange tentacled creature, the Slayer and her friends must fight a prehistoric parasite just as two vampire cowboys arrive in town.
Like other weak Buffy episodes, “Bad Eggs” suffers from underdeveloped villains, terrible pacing, and a messy plot that contributes nothing to the main arc. It explores various themes, including parenting and the consequences of sex, but does so in such a convoluted way that it fails to impress the viewer.
2
A Polarizing Character Returns In “As You Were”
Season 6, Episode 15
“As You Were” was written and directed by American Horror Story writer Douglas Petrie, who had previously penned Buffy episodes like “Bad Girls” and “No Place Like Home.” The episode marks the reappearance of Buffy’s ex-boyfriend, Riley, who returns to Sunnydale asking for her help tracking a demon. If anyone had doubts that Buffy was better off without Riley, this episode will do the job.
Riley was a controversial character from his debut, often dismissed as boring and one-note, especially when contrasted with Buffy’s other love suitors. While he did show some growth in “As You Were,” many fans remained on the fence about his return. In Season 6, Buffy is at the lowest point of her life: depressed, penniless, and stuck in an abusive relationship. “As You Were” is interested in making Buffy feel even worse about herself, humiliating her through the eyes of Riley, now happily married and self-assured.
Season 4, Episode 5
Still reeling from her breakup with Parker, Buffy decides to drown her sorrows with alcohol that, unbeknownst to them, contains more than what she bargained for. After she develops Nearthendalistic features and habits, it’s up to the rest of the gang to revert her to normal. Despite being considered the worst episode in Buffy‘s history, “Beer Bad” received an Emmy nomination for its Outstanding Hairstyling.
Related
The 15 Strongest Vampires in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ranked
Buffy fought all kinds of “big bads” in her time, though the biggest and strongest, like Angelus, Dracula, and the Turok-Han, were all vampires.
That’s probably the best attribute about the episode, which lacks a cohesive storyline and relies on a sloppy allegory. The episode’s messages about substance abuse didn’t resonate with fans of the show. Many found them to be condescending and too ridiculous, even for Buffy’s fantastical world.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
- Release Date
-
1997 – 2003
- Network
-
The WB
- Showrunner
-
Joss Whedon
-
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Buffy Summers
-
Nicholas Brendon
Alexander Harris
