History Series / Buffythevampireslayer

* ZombieApocalypse: A Nigerian mask causes a minor one in "Dead Man's Party".

** Riley = Forrest
** Dawn = Glory

* ShrinkingViolet: Willow, Marcie Ross, Tara.

*** [[FridgeBrilliance Because as far as the rules were concerned, Buffy died already.]] Instead of calling a third Slayer, Buffy's death in season 5 caused a disruption in the Slayer line that led to the events of season 7. (To elaborate on that, the Slayer line runs through the most recently called Slayer. In other words, Faith was the rightful Slayer at the time. In order for a third Slayer to be called, she, not Buffy, would have to die. Buffy's continued existence after her [[spoiler: second death]] represents a weak point in the line, because the Slayer's powers, typically held by one individual, are now shared by two.)

*** [[FridgeBrilliance Because as far as the rules were concerned, Buffy died already.]] Instead of calling a third Slayer, Buffy's death in season 5 caused a disruption in the Slayer line that led to the events of season 7.

** In "As You Were" Riley insists of searching a shirtless Spike's crypt.

* DressesTheSame: At the Sunset Club, Angel rails on about how these kids don't know anything about vampires. "What they are, how they live, how they dress..." At that moment, a dude dressed in exactly the same outfit as Angel appears next to him, checks him out, and walks away. "...{{ahem}}."

* ImplausibleDeniability / TheTroubleWithTickets: Marti Noxon's parking ticket aria.
-->"It isn't right, it isn't fair / There was no parking anywhere / I think that hydrant wasn't there ♫

* InformedAbility: Given characters' descriptions of the Master, you'd expect him to be some sort of EldritchAbomination but other than being a BadBoss and being slightly quicker than most other vampires, his showing isn't terribly impressive.

* ImformedAbility: Given characters' descriptions of the Master, you'd expect him to be some sort of EldritchAbomination but other than being a BadBoss and being slightly quicker than most other vampires, his showing isn't terribly impressive.

* ImpliedAbility: Given characters' descriptions of the Master, you'd expect him to be some sort of EldrichAbomination but other than being a BadBoss and being slightly quicker than most other vampires, his showing isn't terribly impressive.

* EstablishingSeriesMoment: In another series, the schoolgirl in the first episode would have been a SlasherBlonde. Here, she's a vampire.

* MusicalEpisode: [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E7OnceMoreWithFeeling Once More With Feeling]] "Once More With Feeling"]]. For tropes specific to that episode see the recap page.

* TheMusicMeister: Sweet from "Once More, With Feeling"

* DestructiveRomance: Buffy starts a secret relationship with Spike to combat her depression. Unfortunately this only ends up making things worse -- Spike is convinced Buffy wants to come over to TheDarkSide and is frustrated by her unwillingness to either return his love or abandon her friends, while their InterplayOfSexAndViolence, her [[FoeYay lust for a soulless monster who's supposed to be her enemy]] and her [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman guilt over using Spike without respecting his own feelings]] only increases Buffy's self-loathing. At one point she savagely beats an unresisting Spike, describing him in terms that are clearly referring to herself ("There is nothing good or clean in you! You are ''dead'' inside! You can't feel anything real!"). The InUniverse ValuesDissonance between the two reaches a point where [[spoiler:after she ends the relationship, Spike tries to inflict the RapeIsLove trope on an injured Buffy; fortunately Buffy is able to fend him off and Spike realises that, even for him, this act is crossing the MoralEventHorizon, and motivates him to go on a quest to regain his soul.]]

In 1999, Buffy's LoveInterest {{Angel}} was [[SpinOff spun off]] into his own series set in nearby LA. {{Crossover}}s and cross-references between the two shows persisted until Buffy ended in 2003. In many ways the ''Angel'' series provides a contrast to Buffy themes as Angel was about dealing with an Adult Life and past mistakes in comparison to the "growing up is ''hard''" notes hit by Buffy over its seven season span.

* MobileMaze: Sunnydale High Redux -- or more specifically, the basement. Xander notes that blueprints are no good here (and ''he'' built the place!) because the walls seem to move about.

* MobileMaze: Sunnydale High Redux -- or more specifically, the basement. Xander notes that blueprints are no good here (and ''he'' built the place!) because the walls seem to move about.
* OnceMoreWithClarity: "Everyone's talking to me! [[[EurekaMoment lightbulb moment]]] Nobody's [[InvisibilityCloak talking to each other]]."

* ShoutOut: The game's music during quiet, investigative scsnes resembles the library and Sledgwick Hotel music in {{Ghostbusters}}.

* ActuallyADoombot: The Scoobies use the Buffybot to make the underworld think that the Slayer is still protecting Sunnydale. When a vampire accidentally discovers this, it provokes immediate RapeBurnAndPillage by demon bikers. [[spoiler:Also the first time Willow gets her mitts on Warren. Fizz crackle pop.]]

* SliceOfLife: Season 6 dealt with the Scoobies day to day foray into grown up life.