Angel

• Air Date – April 14th, 1997
• Writers – David Greenwalt
• Director – Scott Brazil
• Producer – Joss Whedon

The Master wants his revenge for the many inconveniences Buffy has piled upon him so he sends three vampires to take care of the job.  Buffy, having spent an evening at The Bronze, is jumped on her way home and action ensues.  Angel leaps from the shadows to assist and gets himself hurt, so he and Buffy retreat to her house.   She tends to his wound, and the sexual tension increases between them.  Angel spends the night on Buffy’s floor next to the bed, being a perfect gentleman.

At school the next day Buffy’s three attackers are identified as “warrior vampires”.  This concerns Giles as he feels Buffy’s training has been lacking as of late so he turns up the heat.  After the workout Buffy heads home to find Angel waiting for her.  They both reveal that they have strong feelings for each other, and after a moment share a passionate kiss.  Angel pulls away quickly and too Buffy’s horror he is a vampire.

Angel meets up with his on again off again lover for the past 200 years Darla (later revealed to be his sire) and she suggests that spending too much time with The Slayer has made him soft and he needed to come back into the evil fold.  Up to his usual research Giles uncovers that Angel was also known as Angelus, a 240 year old vampire.  He was especially evil and tore up Europe for over a century until he came to America around 80 years ago.  It would seem that since he arrived in the new world his killing had all but stopped and he no longer associated with other vampires.

Darla, having no intention of leaving her old lover in the hands of The Slayer, heads of too Buffy’s house to handle the situation personally.  Gaining an easy invitation from Joyce, Buffy’s mother, Darla wastes no time biting her.  Having been prowling around Buffy’s house trying to figure out how to explain the situation to her, Angel sees the attack and charges to Joyce’s rescue.  Darla throws Joyce to Angel and beats a hasty retreat.  With absolutely perfect timing Buffy enters the house and rightfully assumes Angel bit her

now unconscious mother.  Angel is forcefully removed from the house, and Buffy decides it’s time to kill Angel.

Tacking Angel to The Bronze, Buffy arrives with crossbow in hand ready to kill the man she has been falling for.  Angel quickly explains that although he was a monster that had done many terrible things he has been cursed with a soul in order for him to suffer for all the things he had done.  As he was making some headway in saving his own life Darla shows up…with guns.  Darla begins shooting up the joint with a gun in each hand trying to kill Buffy and get her man back.  To save his new love, Angel stakes Darla in the back killing her.  The Master is insane with rage over this as Darla was his favorite child.

Angel and Buffy realize that their relationship is impossible and agree they should no longer see each other romantically.  They share a final kiss, and as Buffy walks away we see Angel’s chest has been seared by the cross she wears around her neck.