Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Worst Episode From Every Season

7. Season One: The Pack

Watching season one, it's clear that Buffy as a show was still finding its voice. You can tell in the way it leans into its stereotypical high school archetypes and classic vampire mythology. It's far from bad, of course, but it's also far from what the show would soon become.

Episodes like Welcome to the Hellmouth, Witch and Prophecy Girl have all become Buffy classics since their debut, making the season a worthwhile experience, but the same cannot be said of The Pack, which follows Xander and a gaggle of bullies as they're possessed (checks notes) by a hyena spirit.

The possession makes Xander moody and cruel, and the results, whilst clearly going for something darkly amusing, are beyond cringe-worthy. Between the acting, edgy tone and dull message that bullies are bad, The Pack watches almost like a parody of Buffy's strangest episodes, and is actually tough to get through without groaning.