12 Small Details You Only Notice Rewatching Buffy The Vampire Slayer

12. Demon Days

Vengeance demons are one of Buffy’s finest creations - vindictive spirits who can be summoned by wronged parties to cast dreadful spells on their client’s target. The most prominent is Anya, now in human form and an erstwhile-member of the Scooby gang. But we also spend a good bit of time with Halfrek, Anya’s friend and former colleague.

As a demon who takes pride in her work, Halfrek is a real scene-stealer, but watch the show again and you’ll realise you’ve seen her before. For a time in the late 1800s, she led an ordinary upper-crust existence as Cecily, the unrequited love of William Pratt, better known as Spike.

The series never expands on the history, but given William’s bloodlust began as a direct result of his rejection at Cecily’s hands, it seems she was working in the interest of vengeance even in this guise.

The two meet briefly in the present day and are sheepish around one another, though neither makes it clear that their paths have crossed in a previous life. The connection between Cecily and Halfrek is never stated in the show, but has been confirmed by Whedon - the rest is up to the viewer’s imagination.