10 TV Questions That STILL Have You Confused

Normal Again is arguably the most disturbing episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Ironically, what makes this story unnerving has nothing to do with the show's supernatural themes.

After a demon infects Buffy with an unknown chemical, the titular heroine suffers hallucinations where she's a long-time patient at a psychiatric institution. Her parents, who are supposedly dead, tell Buffy her psychosis caused her mind to invent a fantasy where she's a legendary vampire slayer.

Though Buffy momentarily questions her reality, she concludes this hallucination is merely a trick. After vanquishing the demon, Buffy's life returns to normal (by her standards).

Rather than ending the episode then and there, the last 20 seconds throws a massive curveball. The final scene cuts to a now catatonic Buffy in the psychiatric ward, huddled in the corner. The doctor informs the parents that "we lost her," implying Buffy has returned to her fantasy world permanently. 

Since the demon had been destroyed, this moment shouldn't have happened... unless Buffy really is living in a fantasy where she believes she's a vampire-staking, demon-killing hero. Since this issue is never addressed again, it's impossible to tell whether the events in the show are simply occurring in Buffy's imagination.