Mar 10, 1997 CE
Buffy meets the Master through a dream
Buffy has a prophetic dream about the Master, the ancient vampire trapped beneath Sunnydale. The episode 'The Harvest' follows as the vampires attempt to open the Hellmouth. )
Chronological Storyline (42 Milestones)
Mar 10, 1997 CE
Buffy arrives in Sunnydale
Buffy Summers moves to Sunnydale and is introduced to her new Watcher, Rupert Giles, and meets Xander and Willow. She discovers the Hellmouth beneath the library and faces the vampire Luke.
Apr 14, 1997 CE
Buffy kills her first vampire with help from Giles
In 'Witch', Buffy is formally trained and defeats a witch-student, proving her skills as a Slayer. )
May 12, 1997 CE
Xander is cured of being a werewolf
In 'Phases', Xander is bitten by a werewolf and fears becoming one, but the condition is eventually reversed. )
May 19, 1997 CE
Buffy dies and is revived by Xander
In the season 1 finale 'Prophecy Girl', Buffy learns she is fated to die at the Master's hands. She confronts him, drowns briefly, but Xander performs CPR to revive her, allowing her to defeat the Master.
Sep 29, 1997 CE
Spike and Drusilla arrive in Sunnydale
The vampire Spike and his lover Drusilla, a psychic vampire sired by Angelus, come to Sunnydale seeking a cure for Drusilla's illness. Spike kills two Slayers in past flashbacks.
Nov 17, 1997 CE
Buffy discovers she had a crush on Angel
Angel's past as Angelus is explored, and Buffy realizes her romantic feelings for him. Their relationship begins, but is complicated by his vampire nature. )
Jan 19, 1998 CE
Angelus kills Jenny Calendar
In 'Passion', Angelus viciously murders Jenny Calendar, Giles' love interest, leaving Giles devastated and increasing Buffy's resolve. )
Jan 19, 1998 CE
Angel loses his soul after sleeping with Buffy
In 'Surprise', after Buffy and Angel consummate their relationship, he experiences a moment of perfect happiness, breaking his curse and releasing the demon Angelus. )
Feb 10, 1998 CE
Buffy discovers Angelus's plan to awaken Acathla
In 'Killed by Death', Buffy uncovers Angelus's scheme to awaken the demon Acathla, which would suck the world into hell.
May 19, 1998 CE
Buffy sends Angel to hell
In 'Becoming Part 2', Buffy is forced to kill her love Angel to close a dimensional rift opened by Angelus. She stabs him with a sword, sending his soul to a hell dimension.
Oct 6, 1998 CE
Buffy runs away to Los Angeles
After the events of season 2, Buffy leaves Sunnydale and works as a waitress in LA, but returns after her friends are attacked. )
Dec 8, 1998 CE
Cordelia begins dating Xander
In 'The Wish', Cordelia and Xander start a secret relationship, but it ends eventually due to differences. )
Dec 15, 1998 CE
The Wish creates an alternate reality
In 'The Wish', Cordelia wishes Buffy never came to Sunnydale, leading to an alternate universe where vampires rule. The wish is undone by Giles. )
Jan 23, 1999 CE
Angel returns from hell
Buffy and her friends rescue Angel's soul from the hell dimension, but he is now tormented by his past. Their reunion is bittersweet. )
Feb 16, 1999 CE
Faith turns evil and joins Mayor Wilkins
In 'Enemies', Faith, who had been working with the Mayor, steals the Ascension amulet and allies fully with him. )
Jul 13, 1999 CE
Mayor Wilkins ascends and is destroyed
In 'Graduation Day Part 2', Sunnydale High's graduating class faces the Mayor who has become a giant demon. Buffy and the students defeat him using a bomb, and the school collapses. )
Oct 5, 1999 CE
Riley discovers the supernatural world
In 'The Initiative', Riley, who is actually part of a secret military unit, learns Buffy's secret and their relationship begins. )
Oct 12, 1999 CE
Buffy starts college and meets Riley
In 'The Freshman', Buffy begins attending UC Sunnydale and meets Riley Finn, a graduate assistant. She struggles with the transition to college. )
Dec 14, 1999 CE
The Gentlemen terrorize Sunnydale
In 'Hush', supernatural beings steal everyone's voices, leaving the town mute and vulnerable. Buffy and Riley must fight them in silence. )
Feb 22, 2000 CE
Willow begins practicing witchcraft openly
In 'Something Blue', Willow's spell causes things to go awry, and she starts exploring her magical abilities. )
Apr 18, 2000 CE
The Scoobies graduate from college and move on
In 'New Moon Rising', the group begins to adjust to life after college, with changes in relationships and futures. )
May 23, 2000 CE
The Initiative is destroyed and Adam defeated
In 'Primeval', Buffy combines her essence with the spirits of previous Slayers to defeat the demon/robot hybrid Adam and expose the Initiative's experiments. )
Sep 26, 2000 CE
Dawn is introduced as a key character
In 'Buffy vs. Dracula', it is revealed that Dawn, a mysterious girl, has entered Buffy's life as her sister, but she is actually the Key, a mystical energy.
Nov 14, 2000 CE
Spike develops a crush on Buffy
In 'Fool for Love', Spike recounts his past kills of Slayers and reveals his obsessive feelings for Buffy, leading to a complicated dynamic. )
Feb 27, 2001 CE
Joyce Summers dies
In 'The Body', Buffy's mother Joyce dies suddenly from a brain aneurysm. The episode explores the raw grief of the characters without any supernatural elements. )
Apr 10, 2001 CE
Buffy and Dawn struggle with Joyce's absence
In 'Forever', Dawn attempts to resurrect Joyce using magic, but Giles stops her. )
May 22, 2001 CE
Buffy sacrifices herself to save Dawn
In 'The Gift', the god Glory is defeated, but to close a portal, Buffy must die. She jumps into the portal, sacrificing herself and being resurrected as a Slayer with new powers. )
Oct 2, 2001 CE
Buffy is resurrected by her friends
In 'Bargaining Part 2', Willow uses dark magic to resurrect Buffy, who is pulled from heaven, causing her deep depression and disconnection from life. )
Nov 6, 2001 CE
The musical episode changes lives
In 'Once More, with Feeling', everyone in Sunnydale unwillingly sings their secrets, revealing Buffy's depression, Xander and Anya's doubts, and Willow's magic addiction. )
Nov 13, 2001 CE
Buffy and Spike start a destructive affair
In 'Tabula Rasa', after a memory-erasing spell, Buffy and Spike's physical relationship begins, but it's toxic and abusive. )
Jan 8, 2002 CE
Buffy and Spike's relationship becomes public
In 'After Life', the group learns about Buffy's affair with Spike, causing tension. )
May 7, 2002 CE
Tara is killed by a stray bullet
In 'Seeing Red', Warren shoots Buffy with a gun, but the bullet hits Tara, killing her instantly. This trauma pushes Willow over the edge into dark magic. )
May 21, 2002 CE
Willow becomes Dark Willow and tries to end the world
In 'Grave', Willow, consumed by grief, attempts to destroy the world using magic. Xander's love and appeal to their friendship stops her, but she is left broken. )
Sep 24, 2002 CE
The First Evil emerges as season 7 villain
In 'Lessons', a new school year begins, and a supernatural darkness, the First Evil, begins to manifest, threatening all potential Slayers. )
Oct 8, 2002 CE
Spike regains his soul through trials
In 'Beneath You', Spike reveals that he has undergone a series of trials to regain his soul, driven by his love for Buffy and guilt over his past actions.
Oct 15, 2002 CE
Buffy becomes a guidance counselor and trains potential Slayers
In 'Same Time, Same Place', Buffy takes a job as a guidance counselor at Sunnydale High and begins training the new Potentials who have gathered.
Nov 5, 2002 CE
The Bringers attack and Caleb kills potentials
In 'Dirty Girls', the First's human servant Caleb, a misogynist preacher, murders several potential Slayers and maims Xander.
Jan 21, 2003 CE
Spike betrays Buffy but is revealed to have a soul
In 'Lies My Parents Told Me', Spike is manipulated by the First, but he ultimately turns on it, demonstrating his newfound conscience. )
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Apr 15, 2003 CE
Anya dies in the final battle
In 'Chosen', Anya is killed while fighting the uber-vamps, sacrificing herself for the cause. )
May 20, 2003 CE
The final battle at the Hellmouth begins
In 'Chosen', Buffy, the Scoobies, and the would-be Slayers confront the First Evil's army of uber-vamps. Willow casts a spell that awakens all potential Slayers across the globe. )
May 20, 2003 CE
Buffy shares her power and defeats the First Evil
In the series finale, Buffy uses the Scythe and Willow's magic to activate all Slayers, then she kills the First's physical form. Spike dies heroically destroying the Hellmouth. )