Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 10 Best Characters Who Only Appear In One Episode

Billy “Ford” Fordham is one of the most interesting villains in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As a childhood friend of Buffy’s, he rekindles his relationship with the Slayer when he arrives at Sunnydale High.

But Ford’s friendly demeanour is a mask for his true intentions. After meeting up with Spike, he offers to give him the Slayer in exchange for being turned into a vampire. It’s a twisted plan, and Ford’s willingness to betray Buffy doesn’t make sense given they used to be childhood friends. But towards the end of the episode, Ford reveals the truth:

“I’ve got maybe six months left, and by then what they bury won’t even look like me…I’m not going out that way. I’m sorry, Summers. Did I screw up your righteous-anger riff? Does the nest of tumours liquifying my brain kinda spoil the fun?”

In other words, Ford is grappling against one of humanity’s greatest fears: death. He doesn’t want to die young and becoming a vampire seems like the only way out. It’s a fascinating plot thread, and the episode as a whole is one of Buffy’s most underrated adventures.