10 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fates Worse Than Death
2. Transforming Into A Gill Monster (Season 2, Episode 20)
‘Go Fish’ is a weird episode. The story centres on the Sunnydale High swimming team, and it soon transpires something strange is going on.
In order to improve the quality of his swimmers, the coach doses them with performance-enhancing drugs when they’re in the steam room. Unfortunately, several members of the team are overexposed to the drug and they transform into Gill Monsters – giant, fish-like creatures with a taste for human flesh.
Buffy witnesses this horrible transformation herself when she hears a scream and goes to investigate. After entering the boys’ changing rooms, she watches Gage mutate into a repulsive creature against his will. As ridiculous as this episode is, such a transformation is deeply disturbing.
Again, there’s no reversing the effects. Once you’ve transformed, that’s it. Your stuck for life. As such, the newly-created Gill Monsters are forced to swim out into the sea and live away from human civilisation.