28 Years Ago Today, This Buffy Death Shocked Us All & Set Up the Show’s Best Season Finale

by

A pivotal death in a Season 2 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer dramatically shifted the show’s direction and ultimately paved the way for a stronger season. While Buffy featured many significant character deaths over its seven seasons – including Joyce Summers, Tara Maclay, and even Buffy herself – this particular death remains one of the most impactful and emotionally challenging episodes in the series.

The second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is when the show really hit its stride, largely thanks to the dramatic change in the character of Angel, who became the villainous Angelus. He’s considered one of the show’s best villains, and the latter part of the season focuses on his cruel manipulation of Buffy. This culminates in Episode 17, “Passion,” where his psychological torment of her reaches a devastating peak with the shocking death of Jenny Calendar.

This death is particularly shocking and brutal – Angel snaps Jenny’s neck with no mercy. It’s also staged dramatically, as Angel seems to present it as a twisted romantic gesture for Rupert Giles to find, which makes it even more painful. What makes it stand out even further is that, aside from Buffy’s brief death, Jenny is the first significant character to be killed in the series.

Jenny’s role had become crucial in the second season, particularly because she knew how to restore Angel’s soul. Her death dramatically altered the course of the series. The episode is already strong and suspenseful, but it’s Jenny’s tragic fate that makes it truly stand out.

Jenny Calendar’s Death Led To Buffy’s Best Season Finale

The conflict between Buffy and Angel continued throughout the last episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s second season, culminating in the episode “Becoming.” I consider the two-part finale to be the strongest season ending in the whole series, and “Passion” is a crucial turning point. Although Angel had already shown himself to be evil, he hadn’t gone this far before. Jenny’s death and the escalating danger make it increasingly clear that Buffy might have to permanently defeat Angel.

While I enjoy the finales “Graduation Day” and “The Gift,” the Season 2 finale has always been the most memorable for me. Willow and Xander really step up in this episode – Willow with her powerful spell, and Xander with his drastic plan involving Angel – making them feel more like Buffy’s equals than just her helpers. The pairing of Buffy and Spike is a clever touch, providing some much-needed humor to offset the heavier emotional moments. Plus, Kendra’s death in the first part of the episode is a shocking twist that keeps the tension high throughout.

The heartbreaking love story between Buffy and Angel is central to the show, especially the gut-wrenching scene where she’s forced to kill him just as he regains his soul. This moment, arguably, encapsulates everything about the series and Buffy’s character.

Angelus: “No weapons, no friends, no hope. Take all that away and what’s left?”
Buffy: “Me.”

This moment truly captures the essence of Buffy as a hero, and Jenny’s death, though heartbreaking, was crucial for Buffy’s development. As Angelus put it, this tragedy ultimately fueled one of Buffy’s greatest strengths – her passion.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available to stream on Hulu.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/list/every-season-of-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-ranked-from-best-to-worst/embed/#

Read More

2026-02-24 22:11