History Buffy / SeasonSpecificTropes

* StandardFiftiesFather: Ted seems like one of these at first, but is actually [[spoiler:a killer robot]].

* TeacherStudentRomance: A tragic example in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E19IOnlyHaveEyesForYou I Only Have Eyes for You]]". Back in TheFifties, one of the school's female teachers had an affair with a male student. She realized it was wrong and tried to break it off, only for the distraught student to kill her, followed by himself. The plot involves their ghosts, who keep possessing random couples and almost making them act out the murder-suicide.

* TheTeam: The Scooby Gang.
** TheHero: Buffy.
** TheLancer: Xander, the irresponsible teenage boy and NonActionGuy {{Foil}} to badass heroine Buffy.
** TheBigGuy: Angel, Buffy's only equal when it comes to sheer physical strength [[spoiler:(at least until Kendra's introduction)]] but who has a [[spoiler:FaceHeelTurn]] thanks to his curse being broken.
** TheSmartGuy: Willow and Giles, who take care of most of the research. Giles and Jenny also count as TheMentor to Buffy and Willow respectively.
** TheLoad: Cordelia, who [[DefrostingIceQueen slowly becomes a good friend to the gang and ends up dating Xander]] while still remaining her usual [[BrutalHonesty brutally honest]] self.
** SixthRanger: Oz, Willow's new LoveInterest and later boyfriend who eventually becomes a full-fledged member of the group.

* TheTeam: The Scoobies.
** TheHero: Buffy.
** TheLancer: Xander.
** TheSmartGuy: Willow and Giles.
** TheBigGuy: Angel, when he returns. Oz also counts, given his... condition.
** TheLoad: Cordelia, until she breaks up with Xander. However, she continues to hang around with them in the second half of the season.
** SixthRanger: Wesley, Buffy (and Faith's) new Watcher. Also doubles as a NaiveNewcomer given his inexperience.
** SixthRangerTraitor: Faith, who becomes TheDragon to BigBad Mayor Wilkins midway through the season.

* TheTeam:
** TheHero: Buffy. As per usual.
** TheLancer: Willow takes center stage this season with her new magical abilities.
** TheSmartGuy: Giles. Despite feeling out of place he is still very much Buffy's father figure, mentor and teacher.
** TheBigGuy: Riley, who is a SuperSoldier and Buffy's new boyfriend.
** TheHeart: Xander has really grown into this, what with the motivating speech he gives Buffy in the season premiere. He's even called this in a spell Willow performs near the end of the season.
** SixthRanger: Anya and Tara, after they start dating Xander and Willow, respectively.
** TokenEvilTeammate: Spike, who occasionally stands with the Scoobies for the sake of a good fight. He's still evil, however, and just because he can no longer do the damage himself, it doesn't stop him from [[spoiler:helping Adam during the final stretch of the season]].

* TheTeam: After Riley's departure.
** TheHero: Buffy (what else is new?)
** TheLancer: Giles is frequently at Buffy's side throughout the season, especially in the aftermath of [[spoiler:Joyce's death.]]
** TheSmartGuy: Willow, although she's slowly growing into a protective force thanks to her magic vastly improving.
** TheBigGuy: Spike, motivated by his unexpected [[spoiler:love for Buffy]]. Buffy even says he's the only one besides her who stands a chance in a fight with Glory (and she's correct).
** TheLoad: Anya (with some elements of TheSmartGuy due to her continuing demon expertise and surprising proficiency in running a business)
** TeamMom: Tara.
** TheHeart: Xander.

* TheTeam:
** TheHero: Buffy, although she's become a bit of an AntiHero in the aftermath of her resurrection. [[spoiler:Xander]] becomes one in the season's last episode.
** TheLancer: Willow, who's also darker due to her magic addiction.
** TheSmartGuy: Anya, taking over the Magic Box from Giles.
** TheBigGuy: Spike. As always, acting as the extra muscle at Buffy's side.
** TeamMom: Tara.
** TheHeart: Xander, [[spoiler:which saves the world in the last episode.]]
** TagalongKid: Dawn.
* TeleportationSickness: Buffy and Dawn after Willow teleporting them from a cemetery to the Magic Box.
* TerribleTrio: The Trio.

* TheTeam: Buffy's main crew.
** TheHero: Buffy, of course.
** NumberTwo: Faith in the final stretch of the season, serving as Buffy's second-in-command of the Slayer army and even taking over as leader when Buffy's friends turn against her.
** TheLancer: [[spoiler:Newly-souled]] Spike is Buffy's lieutenant in all but name, and is frequently seen standing at her side.
** TheBigGuy: Willow, who has become one of the most powerful witches in the world.
** TheSmartGuy: Dawn has stepped up as "Junior Watcher", learning a few languages and assisting with research. Giles, who returns mid-season to inform everyone about the impending apocalypse, also counts. And Anya, who along with occasional demon expertise, is on hand to provide much needed sarcasm.
** TheHeart: Xander, which is most apparent this season than any other, as he reminds Dawn that she's still special and rallies the Potentials to trust Buffy's lead.
** SixthRanger: Andrew, TheThingThatWouldNotLeave and TheAtoner for his actions in Season 6; and Wood, [[spoiler:the son of a Slayer Spike killed and Faith's potential boyfriend]].

* DropTheHammer: The hammer wielded by Olaf the Troll, which becomes a ChekhovsGun for the season finale.

* ProdigalFamily: Tara's family are an example of the possessive, malevolent variety.

* {{Fanservice}}: On the first DVD of season 1, the menu [[http://horror-music.narod.ru/Buffy1_meny1.jpg opens]] with a seductive-looking Creator/SarahMichelleGellar crawling towards you wearing a low-cut top. Also, in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E10Nightmares Nightmares]]", one gets ten seconds of a mostly-naked Nicholas Brendon.

* SaltAndPepper: Riley and Forrest.

* AllPsychologyIsFreudian: Professor Walsh gives a lecture on the Id. ZigZagged, as her other lectures indicate she's just giving a board overview of all schools of psychological thought.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Willow's flaying of Warren is pretty much thought of as a concern not because of what she did to him, but [[KnightTemplar what sort of person she was turning into.]]

* SuccessSymbiosis: This ends up being the case between Buffy and the Watcher's Council. Buffy points out that she needs them to identify Glory but they need her or they're just a bunch of old guys in tweed waiting for her (well, actually, they're waiting for Faith) to die because without a Slayer they have no purpose. So the Council hires back Giles (and after his prompting, gives him all the pay he would have gotten since he got fired to that moment) and in return they tell her who Glory is (a hellgod).

* HasTwoMommies: Dawn with Willow and Tara. Considering that they were really one of the only functional relationships in the show (and by extension, in her life) and that they took care of her for a good year or so, it's no shock.

* JoinTheArmyTheySaid

* YouGotSpunk:
-->'''Ken''': "You've got guts. I'd like to slice you open and play with them."

%%* EnemyMine: Buffy and Spike in the finale.

** TheChick: Cordelia, who [[DefrostingIceQueen slowly becomes a good friend to the gang and ends up dating Xander]] while still remaining her usual [[BrutalHonesty brutally honest]] self.

** TheChick: Cordelia, until she breaks up with Xander. However, she continues to hang around with them in the second half of the season.

** TheSmartGuy: Willow, although he's slowly growing into a protective force thanks to her magic vastly improving.

** TheChick: Anya (with some elements of TheSmartGuy due to her continuing demon expertise and surprising proficiency in running a business) and Tara, who doubles as a TeamMom.

** TheChick: Tara, also the TeamMom.

* BittersweetSeventeen: The events of Buffy's 17th birthday are in one of the most important episodes in the series. She loses her virginity to Angel, who is said to reverse to his evil self called Angellus when he is the happiest in his life, ie: having sex with Buffy. Buffy would finally realise that Angel is definitely not the man (or Vampire) she liked and realises he must be defeated.

* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Subverted with gusto in "Anne", when Oz throws a

* [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique Buffy Summers Interrogation Technique]]: In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E1WhenSheWasBad When She Was Bad]]", Buffy channels her inner [[Series/TwentyFour Jack Bauer]] by pulling this stunt with a burning cross ''shoved down a vampire's burning throat,'' [[OlderThanTheyThink several years]] before ''24'' aired and discussed much the same form of torture.

* [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks Throwing Your Stake Always Works]]: Subverted with gusto in "Anne".

* [[JugglingLoadedGuns Juggling Loaded Crossbows]]: "End of Days", it is implied that Willow and Tara's cat, Miss Kitty Fantastico, met her demise in a tragic crossbow accident.

* BlackComedyRape: In "Go Fish]]", Buffy is captured by the coach who had exposed the swim team to a concoction that transformed them into fish monsters. He tosses her to them to satisfy their "needs", leading her to snark:

-->'''Giles''': There is no spell.* BitCharacter: A harried teacher exhorting his students to "be somber" about the new year. He pops up again on Graduation Day, grimly making the kids play Hangman.