10 Most Underrated Buffy The Vampier Slayer Episodes

This might be a controversial pick, one of those episodes anti-Spike supporters cite as proof he was no good for Buffy. But in a lot of ways that’s the point of the episode. Spike is still evil; he may have a chip, and a major crush on the Slayer, but he is still soulless. In “Intervention”, he has Warren Mears (evil but with a soul, we think) to create the hilarious if sick Buffybot for his own…gratification.

This creates a lot of laughs, some of them uncomfortable, and gives fans a chance to see Spike fight with his feelings. But the entire episode is flipped upside down when Glory’s minions kidnap him believing him to the Key, an artefact of power that Glory needs to fulfil her evil plans. Spike is tortured and beaten, but never lets slip who the true Key is.

The ending, as with many Buffy episodes, is affecting, and shows just how much Spike is able to care for Buffy and her sister despite the missing soul. It’s one of many Spike-centric episodes where it is almost impossible not to feel for the bloodsucker.

And outside of the Spike escapades, audiences are also treated to the First Slayer's prophetic (and now crushing) line: "Death is your gift." It's an emotional rollercoaster of an episode, but well worth the time and the pay off.