Summary
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer's impact extends beyond being a cult classic due to its quippy writing and iconic characters.
- Buffy delivers memorable lines throughout the series that have stuck with countless fans.
- The show explores complex themes, such as death, sacrifice, and teenage struggles, while balancing humor and drama.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is more than a cult classic. It's a TV show that has had a massive impact on entertainment with its quippy writing, high-stakes supernatural plots, and a tone that swings between melodramatic and entirely unserious. The Slayer herself has become an icon, featuring in video games and comic books, and there is even news of an upcoming reboot that will bring Buffy back to fans' screens.
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Over her time in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy was the source of plenty of big moments and quote-worthy lines of dialogue that stuck in the minds of countless fans forever. Here are the best quotes from the Slayer herself, whether sarcastic, cool, or moving.
9 "To Make You A Vampire, They Have To Suck Your Blood. And Then You Have To Suck Their Blood. It's Like A Whole Big Sucking Thing."
Season 1, Episode 1 - "Welcome To The Hellmouth"
- Buffy says this to her Watcher, Giles, in the first episode of the show.
In the first-ever episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, audiences are introduced to the titular slayer and her role as the protector of mankind in a battle against the supernatural. Speaking with Giles, her mentor who is undercover as the librarian of her high school, she explains why the fresh corpse that has been found is definitely not a vampire.
When Giles asks how she can be sure, Buffy gives fans a gross description of the process of becoming a vampire. Viewers see the "whole big sucking thing" in action a few times throughout the series, but it's the iconic first explanation that shows fans how knowledgeable and disgusted Buffy is about vampires.
8 "No Guy Is Worth Your Life, Not Ever."
Season 7, Episode 6 - "Him"
- Buffy gives her sister Dawn some advice after they are both bewitched by a love spell.
In the episode 'Him,' Dawn develops a crush on RJ, a sporty classmate at school. To complicate things, the other girls in the Scooby gang start to fall for RJ, too, with each getting more desperate in their attempts to win him. It turns out that they are victims of an enchanted letterman jacket that has been passed down through generations.
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When Dawn tries to prove her love by lying on the train tracks and waiting for her death, Buffy saves her and gives her this advice. In doing so, the Slayer overcomes the potent love spell, telling Dawn that she would happily give up RJ before she would ever see her hurt.
7 "How Do You Like My Darkness Now?"
Season 5, Episode 1 - "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
- The Slayer delivers this iconic line right as she finally gets the upper hand against the most famous vampire.
In the first episode of Season 5, Buffy Summers faces off against perhaps the most iconic vampire of all time. Despite the beginning of the episode where Dracula exerts a kind of hypnotic control over the Slayer, Buffy manages to break free.
Dracula wants Buffy to see what it means to be a Slayer, and for her to acknowledge the darkness that is part of her. After having her taste some of his blood, she bests the vampire in combat, staking him through his chest right as he appears out of smoke from behind her, saying this cool one-liner as she claims her victory.
6 "Everybody Wants To Help. I Don't Even Know If I'm... Here. I Don't Know What's Going On."
Season 5, Episode 16 - "The Body"
- In one of the most heartfelt and moving episodes, the Scooby gang comforts Buffy after her mother's death.
"The Body" is one of the most haunting episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With no supernatural threat in sight, Buffy is left to deal with the death of her mother, the one consistent foundation in her life that has been supportive of Buffy throughout the whole of the earlier seasons.
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When the Scoobies talk to her, she shrugs off their concerns and is instead concerned with looking after her sister until it is just Buffy and Tara. The pair have shared very few moments on the show, and when Buffy says this tear-jerking line, Tara confides in her that her mother died when she was young and that she can empathize.
5 "Buffy Summers, Reporting For Sanity."
Season 3, Episode 4 - "Beauty And The Beasts"
- Buffy is made to go to mandatory counseling at school, and this is how she reports in with her new therapist, Mr. Platt.
An episode that feels almost like a 'whodunnit,' "Beauty and the Beasts" sees ordinary people turning up dead with a selection of possible killers who are members of the core cast.
As the Scoobies try to work out if the killer could have been Willow's partner, Oz, Buffy tries to determine if a crazed version of Angel could be the culprit. All the while, a violent classmate has created a potion that makes him a masculine monster who abuses his girlfriend. Unsurprisingly, Buffy is made to go to therapy, and as she arrives, she announces her arrival sarcastically.
4 "If The Apocalypse Comes, Beep Me."
Season 1, Episode 5 - "Never Kill A Boy On The First Date"
- As Buffy grapples with her responsibilities as the Slayer, she argues with Giles about maintaining a social life.
When Buffy meets a new guy and falls for him, all she wants is to take a night off. Giles argues with her, telling her that the logistics of managing her role as the protector of humanity while having the fickle social life of a teenage girl is "problematic at best."
However, the Slayer shrugs him off. Buffy says that she won't go far, she needs a vacation, and that, if all else fails and the apocalypse does come, she is just a beep away.
3 "I May Be Dead, But I'm Still Pretty, Which Is More Than I Can Say For You."
Season 1, Episode 12 - "Prophecy Girl"
- After her apparent death, prophesied and confirmed, Buffy jumps back into the fray to defeat the Master.
The main antagonist throughout the first season of the show is 'The Master.' Trying to capitalize on Sunnydale's location over the Hellmouth, the Master knows that Buffy's death has been foretold. Controlling her with his hypnotic powers, he holds her still while he bites and kills her.
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However, when Xander arrives and resuscitates Buffy, she gets right back into the action. The Master is surprised that she lives, and Buffy quips back with this sassy line. When the Master tells her that it is written, she follows up by telling him that she "flunked the written." This quote is a great example of peak Buffy sarcasm.
2 "When You Kiss Me, I Wanna Die."
Season 2, Episode 5 - "Reptile Boy"
- When Angel gives Buffy a stern warning about what dating a vampire could entail, Buffy responds with this brutal, beautiful line.
Things are complicated for Buffy and Angel. They are in love, but Buffy is the sworn enemy of the vampires. Angel just so happens to have had his soul return; he feels empathy and remorse for his actions as a heartless vampire.
The brooding vamp tells Buffy that their love story isn't going to be a happy one, warning her that it's not a fairy tale and that she won't just wake up and live happily ever after. Buffy responds with this cutting remark, showing that it is just as hard for her and that she hates herself for what she is doing with Angel. The love story continues to be tragic and angsty, but it peaks here with the pair knowing what could happen but still leaping into it regardless.
1 "Dawn, The Hardest Thing In This World Is To Live In It. Be Brave. Live. For Me."
Season 5, Episode 22 - "The Gift"
- When a dark ritual is started and can seemingly only be stopped by Dawn's death, Buffy realizes that only Summer's blood is required and readies herself to give her life to save her friends, the world, and her sister.
One of the most intense finales in the series, "The Gift" sees Buffy and Dawn at the epicenter of an evil ritual. When Dawn tells Buffy that she is going to sacrifice herself, Buffy refuses and realizes that she herself is the one who must sacrifice herself in order to save the world.
In a chilling voice-over, Buffy gives her final words to Dawn, telling her to look after her friends and warning her that existing in the world is hard. While Buffy does return, the shot of her headstone that followed was truly shocking and moving, showcasing just how much the Slayer was willing to give up in order to save those she cares for.
- Release Date
- 1997 - 2003
- Network
- The WB
- Showrunner
- Joss Whedon
- Directors
- Joss Whedon
- Writers
- Joss Whedon
Cast
-
Sarah Michelle GellarBuffy Summers -
Nicholas BrendonAlexander Harris
