7 Times Buffy The Vampire Slayer Broke Its Biggest Tradition

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer is widely considered one of the greatest TV shows ever made. Interestingly, despite being known for certain patterns, the show broke its own established rules seven times throughout its seven seasons. Created by Joss Whedon, Buffy emerged during a popular era for fantasy television in the 1990s, becoming a landmark show alongside many others.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer centers around Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who is part of a long line of young women chosen to fight vampires and other evil creatures. With help from her mentor, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), and her friends Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon), Buffy dedicates her life to battling the forces of darkness.

Despite a few weaker episodes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is considered a classic fantasy TV show that ran for seven seasons. Interestingly, even though the main character usually fights vampires, the show surprisingly went entire seasons or significant stretches without featuring them at all – a total of seven times throughout its run.

Only Seven Episodes Of Buffy Have No Vampires

Nearly every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer features Buffy fighting vampires. Even when a vampire isn’t the main villain, the show typically opens with Buffy staking a few as part of her patrol. This makes sense given the show’s premise and Buffy’s job, but surprisingly, seven episodes don’t include any vampires at all.

Early episodes of the show featured standalone stories like “The Witch,” which focused on Buffy’s classmate Amy and her controlling mother, both of whom were witches. Another memorable episode, “The Pack,” involved Xander and other students exhibiting odd behavior after a trip to the zoo.

Episodes like “I Robot, You Jane” explored a concerning side of Willow’s online relationship, while “The Puppet Show” featured a creepy twist on a classic ventriloquist dummy. Season 2’s “Inca Mummy Girl” involved Xander unknowingly falling in love with a mummy. Later, in Season 4’s “Living Conditions,” Buffy was preoccupied with a strange roommate and didn’t have time to deal with vampires.

The episode “Fear, Itself” presents Buffy and her friends with a genuinely scary situation, but notably, there are no vampires involved. While some parts of the episode are captivating enough to distract from this, other moments reveal weaknesses in the show’s overall structure.

Two Of Buffy’s Vampire-Less Episodes Highlight The Show’s Flaws

“The Pack” and “Inca Mummy Girl” are generally considered the least strong episodes of the bunch. “The Pack” centers around strange behavior in Xander and other teens, which turns out to be caused by hyena spirits trying to possess them through a zookeeper. “Inca Mummy Girl” features a resurrected princess mummy who falls for Xander.

While Buffy the Vampire Slayer is generally a fun show, its early seasons weren’t always consistent, especially when it came to the villains. These two episodes are prime examples of the show at its silliest. Switching away from vampires to focus on villains like evil zookeepers, hyenas, and mummies just didn’t quite work.

Buffy’s Best Vampire-Less Episodes Prove The Show’s Creativity

Episodes like “Living Conditions” and “Fear, Itself” really highlight what made Buffy the Vampire Slayer great – its imaginative storytelling. “Living Conditions” is particularly strong in showing the everyday struggles of dealing with a difficult roommate, taking it to the next level by adding a supernatural element and portraying manipulative behavior.

While ‘Fear, Itself’ cleverly expanded on the haunted house idea by bringing characters’ fears to life, the reveal of what was causing the trouble ultimately felt disappointing. ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ despite occasional imperfections, consistently delivered imaginative monsters each week, which was a major reason it ran for seven seasons.

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2025-10-30 16:18