15 Most Important Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episodes

15. Welcome To The Hellmouth (Season 1, Episode 1)

Looking back, Welcome to the Hellmouth really is a miracle of an episode. Not only is it the show's first episode, introducing fans to Buffy, Xander, Willow, Cordelia and Giles, but it also serves as a genius piece of storytelling, laying out the mythology that would characterise the rest of the show's run and making the threat of Buffy's world instantly formidable.

From the very first scene, in which archetypal high school victim Darla is revealed to be a vampire, Joss Whedon made it clear that the show would not only be scary, but progressive and unique. Welcome to the Hellmouth also introduced audiences to Jesse, who would be sired by the episode's end and killed by his best friend Xander in The Harvest.

From Buffy being introduced to her new Watcher to Xander and Willow finding out about vampires, Welcome to the Hellmouth is a must-watch that perfectly sets up the rest of the show.