15 Most Important Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episodes

Few episodes are as game-changing as this two-part emotional rollercoaster, which starts off like any other episode: Buffy has a bad dream, she has a birthday party which is marred by vampire attacks and a revelation about Spike and Drusilla's next big plot, and she and Angel have to race to save the day.

At the end of the episode, Buffy and Angel are out-maneuvered by Spike and his lackies and forced to flee via the sewer system. The pair hunker down at Angel's place, where they make love for the first time, and, in a flash of lightning, Angel loses his soul because he's achieved a moment of pure happiness with the Slayer.

Surprise also introduces Oz to the world of the supernatural, and Jenny Calendar is revealed to be a gypsy, part of the same clan that cursed Angel in the 1800s. Innocence comes complete with Buffy's realisation that Angel is no more, and has been taken over by his sadistic alter-ego, setting in motion the show's most soul-crushing storyline.