The A to Z of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

As Buffy and co celebrate their 20th birthday, Paul Jones lays down the letters of the lore

Published: Friday, 10th March 2017 at 7:00 am

K is for The Key – when Buffy returned for season five, some fans had to go back and check they hadn’t missed something. Out of nowhere, the Slayer had a 12-year-old sister, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) , and Buffy and all her friends were acting as if she’d been there all along. In fact, Dawn was The Key to the hell dimension once ruled over by Glory (see J) hidden in human form. False memories of her had been implanted in the minds of all those who knew her (apart from the viewers). In the end, of course, she became as dear to Buffy as any little sister – so much so that Buffy sacrificed herself for Dawn at the end of the season.

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L is for Lucy Hanover – a former Slayer active during the 1860s who first appeared in ads for the series and again as a ghostly ally to Buffy and co in spin-off comic books and novels.

M is for Musical – Once More with Feeling, the awesome musical episode of Buffy, in which the characters are compelled to sing their secrets by a groovy Devil-like figure who calls himself Sweet. The cast all sang their own parts on tracks ranging from strings-led musical numbers to all out rock songs, touching on subjects from death to bunnies.

N is for Nerf Herder – the band that wrote and performed the frenetic theme to Buffy the Vampire. A tune to kick vampire ass to if ever there was one…

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O is for Oz – skater dude, musician, one-time boyfriend of Willow – oh, and werewolf.

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