Buffy & Angel Chronicle Vol 1 (1997) This video shows the two episodes "Surprise" & "Innocence". In the first, it's Buffy's 17th birthday, when Angel gives Buffy her claddagh ring and they have sex for the first time. In "Innocence", we see the effects of this as Angel reverts to the dark side and snubs Buffy, who is understandably devestated. However, she and her friends still manage to vanquish the Judge, brough forth by Spike & Drusilla, to destroy the world.
	Buffy & Angel Chronicle Vol 2 (1997) Passion is one of the best Buffy episodes I have seen. It starts with a voice over from Angelus which manages to capture both the passion of his feelings for Buffy, whether it be hatred from Angelus, or love from Angel, and the menace which builds throughout the episode to the shocking method Angelus uses to ensure he stays without a soul. In addition, the episode has an angle of vuyeuristim which adds to the menace of the whole episode. Angel has always had a tendancy to be laconic, with the result this episode gives a greater insight into the way he feels for Buffy and the way he thinks than anything we have seen or heard from him before. The events in `Passion' and the emotional backlash they cause, make the story of the teacher and schoolboy lovers in `I Only Have Eyes for You' far more poignant than they would have been as a stand alone episode. The Buffy/Angel story mirrors the teacher/schoolboy love affair, and the role reversal with Buffy taking the role of the boy and Angel as the female teacher is an interesting twist. The whole episode is beautifully acted right through to the end when Buffy realises she can forgive and move on, and the revulsion Angelus feels over the emotions for Buffy the possession stirred within him.
	Buffy & Angel Chronicle Vol 3 (1997) Both parts are written and directed by Joss Whedon, who finally received an Emmy nomination for writing this past year because of the changes in who gets to vote on such things. While we would expect more such nominations for him in the future, this is the apex of Whedon's work on this series. "Becoming, Part 1" sets up the whole experience with Angel's plan to resurrect the demon Acathla and includes several pivotal flashbacks in Angel's life: being turned into a vampire by Darla, being cursed by the Romany people, and coming to L.A. to see Buffy learn she is the Slayer. The episode ends with Drusilla's attack on the library where Kendra is killed, Willow and Xander badly hurt and Giles kidnapped. The "to be continued" part comes as the police discover Buffy over Kendra's body. In addition to the stunning climax, "Becoming, Part 2" includes other key moments in the series: Joyce learning her daughter is the slayer, with a hysterical brief conversation between a stunned Joyce and a nervous Spike in the Summers living room; Angel tortures Giles, who finally breaks when Drusilla creates the illusion of Jenny Calendar in his mind, a scene which shows that brutality can be psychological as well as physical; and Willow's possession at the key moment during the spell to restore Angel's soul. Tragically, it is too late. Angelus has opened up the portal to hell and the only thing that will stop the end of the world as we know it is the death of the person who pulled out the sword, forcing Buffy to do the unthinkable.
	Buffy & Angel Chronicles Gift Set (1998) Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer rocked the foundations of television and redefined the one-hour action-drama genre with its bleeding-edge humor, smartly crafted teenspeak, fascinating mythology, and the most ambitious of all themes--you know, that good versus evil thing. At the show's heart is the romance between Buffy (the charming Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Angel (hunky David Boreanaz), the tortured vampire destined to walk the earth with a soul. These six episodes take the Buffy-Angel pas de deux from ecstasy to agony in a now-classic plot arc from the show's second season. You see, if the cursed Angel ever experiences true happiness for a moment, he'll revert to being an evil vampire again. And guess what happens after Buffy and Angel finally declare their love for one another and consummate their relationship... Episodes "Surprise" and "Innocence" chart the events of Buffy's 17th birthday, when evil vamps Drusilla (Juliet Landau, Martin's daughter) and Spike (drolly wicked James Marsters) plan a nefarious surprise party for the slayer, and Buffy wakes up the morning after to find her beloved Angel transformed into (literally) the boyfriend from hell. "Passion" and "I Only Have Eyes for You" chronicle the evil Angel's ascent to power and the love-hate relationship that grows between him and the emotionally wracked Buffy. And the series' ostensible high point, "Becoming, Part 1" and "Part 2," finds Buffy going up against Angel as she fights to save the world from being sucked into hell. It all sounds like horror-action mayhem (and there are great ass-kicking fight scenes), but Buffy grapples with its themes of good and evil with amazing depth and intelligence, not to mention prentention-deflating humor. And oh man, the love story! Buffy and Angel's tragic relationship is one of the most heartbreaking you'll ever find. Buffy's final dilemma finds her having to save the world at Angel's expense, and Gellar (who deserves a passel of Emmys for her work) is phenomenal at telegraphing Buffy's swirling conflicts between love and duty. Fans of the series, as well as newbies to the world of Buffy, will find this outstanding video set indispensable--it's some of the best TV ever made, period.
	Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Slayer Chronicles The third season of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer was marked by the arrival in Sunnydale of renegade slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), a moody loner who seemed to like her calling just a little bit too much--she definitely got a pleasure out of staking vamps that went beyond mere job satisfaction. While Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was always wary of Faith, the two developed a deep friendship and appreciative rapport--that is, until the evil mayor of Sunnydale (Harry Groener) tapped into Faith's dark side and lured her into his plot to take over the world, first as a double agent spying on Buffy, then as out-and-out nemesis. And as the mayor's ascension approached--which happened to fall on Sunnydale High's graduation day--Buffy and Faith's battles got nastier and nastier, as Buffy attempted to wrestle with her dark side (literally and figuratively), save the world and her friends, and keep her lover Angel (David Boreanaz) out of Faith's evil clutches. While Faith was around for a good deal of Buffy's third season, the six episodes of the Slayer Chronicles represent the highlights of her and Buffy's relationship. "Bad Girls" shows Buffy and Faith at their closest, going on a demon-killing rampage--until Faith accidentally kills a human being, and shows little regret for doing so. "Consequences" deals with the, well, consequences of the accidental murder, and also brings Buffy face-to-face with the mayor's evil plans for Sunnydale. "Enemies" details Faith's attempts to seduce Angel away from Buffy, by stealing both his body (hubba hubba!) and his soul. The controversial "Earshot" (pulled from its initial broadcast due to its similarities to the Columbine massacre) is one of Buffy's best episodes ever, mixing pathos, humor, and suspense as Buffy develops the ability to read minds, and discovers someone is thinking very seriously about mass murder at Sunnydale High. The Slayer Chronicles' pièce de résistance, though, is the two-parter "Graduation Day," wherein Faith tries to kill Angel, and the students of Sunnydale High prepare to do battle with a mutated mayor and his army of demons. Aside from the series' exceptional writing and acting, what makes the Slayer Chronicles so compelling are the performances of the consistently excellent Gellar (as Buffy) and Dushku as the complicated Faith, a girl you truly love to hate. By the end of these episodes, Faith will have cast a spell on you that you'll find very hard to shake off.
	Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Volume 1 - Bad Girls/Consequences The third season of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer was marked by the arrival in Sunnydale of renegade slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), a moody loner who seemed to like her calling just a little bit too much--she definitely got a certain pleasure out of staking vamps that went beyond mere job satisfaction. While Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was always wary of Faith, the two developed a deep friendship and appreciative rapport--that is, until the evil mayor of Sunnydale (Harry Groener) tapped into Faith's dark side and lured her into his plot to take over the world, first as a double agent spying on Buffy, then as out-and-out nemesis. And as the mayor's ascension approached--which happened to fall on Sunnydale High's graduation day--Buffy and Faith's battles got nastier and nastier, as Buffy attempted to wrestle with her dark side (literally and figuratively), save the world and her friends, and keep her lover Angel (David Boreanaz) out of Faith's evil clutches. "Bad Girls" shows Buffy and Faith at their closest, going on a demon-killing rampage--until Faith accidentally kills a human being, and shows little regret for doing so. "Consequences" deals with the, well, consequences of the accidental murder, and also brings Buffy face-to-face with the mayor's evil plans for Sunnydale. Up until this point, Buffy and Faith had come to a somewhat wary understanding of each's personality; these two episodes show the deterioration of their friendship into something more deadly. "Bad Girls" also showcases the arrival of Faith's watcher, Wesley (Alexis Denisof), now of Angel fame
	Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Volume 2 - Enemies/Earshot The third season of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer was marked by the arrival in Sunnydale of renegade slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), a moody loner who seemed to like her calling just a little bit too much--she definitely got a certain pleasure out of staking vamps that went beyond mere job satisfaction. While Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was always wary of Faith, the two developed a deep friendship and appreciative rapport--that is, until the evil mayor of Sunnydale (Harry Groener) tapped into Faith's dark side and lured her into his plot to take over the world, first as a double agent spying on Buffy, then as out-and-out nemesis. And as the mayor's ascension approached--which happened to fall on Sunnydale High's graduation day--Buffy and Faith's battles got nastier and nastier, as Buffy attempted to wrestle with her dark side (literally and figuratively), save the world and her friends, and keep her lover Angel (David Boreanaz) out of Faith's evil clutches. "Enemies" details Faith's attempts to seduce Angel away from Buffy, by stealing both his body (hubba hubba!) and his soul. Fearing what may happen to Angel if he crosses over to the dark side again, Buffy is heartbroken by Angel's conversion--or is she? The controversial "Earshot" (pulled from its initial broadcast due to its similarities to the Columbine massacre) is one of Buffy's best episodes ever, mixing pathos, humor, and suspense as Buffy develops the ability to read minds, and discovers someone is thinking very seriously about mass murder at Sunnydale High. Jonathan (Danny Strong), Buffy's nebbishy classmate who got his own Buffy "episode" the next year, plays a pivotal role.
	Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Volume 3 - Graduation Day 1 & 2 (1997) The third season of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer was marked by the arrival in Sunnydale of renegade slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), a moody loner who seemed to like her calling just a little bit too much--she definitely got a certain pleasure out of staking vamps that went beyond mere job satisfaction. While Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was always wary of Faith, the two developed a deep friendship and appreciative rapport--that is, until the evil mayor of Sunnydale (Harry Groener) tapped into Faith's dark side and lured her into his plot to take over the world, first as a double agent spying on Buffy, then as out-and-out nemesis. And as the mayor's ascension approached--which happened to fall on Sunnydale High's graduation day--Buffy and Faith's battles got nastier and nastier, as Buffy attempted to wrestle with her dark side (literally and figuratively), save the world and her friends, and keep her lover Angel (David Boreanaz) out of Faith's evil clutches. The season's pièce de résistance is the two-parter "Graduation Day," wherein Faith tries to kill Angel with a poison arrow, and the students of Sunnydale High prepare to do battle with a mutated mayor and his army of demons. The first episode features one of Buffy's best fight scenes ever, as Buffy battles Faith in order to provide Angel with the antidote--slayer's blood--that he needs in order not to die. The second episode (and season finale) is a clever nod to the anxieties that accompany anyone's high school graduation, as well as a resolution to the mayor's evil machinations.
	Buffy: Welcome To the Hellmouth/The Harvest (1997) In "Welcome to the Hellmouth" Buffy Summers moves to Sunnydale in the wake of that unfortunate incident where the gym burned down (an allusion to the climax of the film version, which you certainly do not need to see to appreciate these episodes). She yearns for a normal life, but suddenly she is confronted with a new Watcher, a mysterious dark stranger named Angel, and the little known fact that Sunnydale is located on the Hellmouth, a demon portal of the first order. At the present time the big bad in town is the Master, a vampire lord trapped below and waiting for his time to rise up, kill the Slayer, destroy the human race, etc. However, the most important element for redefining Whedon's vision is the creation of the Scooby Gang of Willow, Xander and (later) Cordelia. The master metaphor here is that High School is Hell, and it is the Scoobies that help bring that out the most and gives the Buffy storyline added depth. "The Harvest" picks up right where Part One left off, with Buffy about to get the bite from Luke, the Master's right hand vamp. The title refers to a rather special night where the Master selects a vessel who will go out and feed upon the Sunnydale night life with all that power being transferred to the big bad guy trapped down below. The mystery of Angel is played out a bit more, but the most important thing is that this is merely round one in what would prove to be a season long battle between the Slayer and the Master.
	Buffy: Witch/Never Kill a Boy on the First Date (1997) This second tape from the first season collection of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" includes a pair of episodes that are only tangentially important to the Buffy mythos. In "The Witch" we meet Amy Madison, who is currently known to Buffy viewers as Willow's pet white rat. However, at this point she is just another girl trying out for the Sunnydale High Cheerleading squad along with Buffy and Cordelia. This is one of those early episodes that does acknowledge the original feature film as background for the series. Of course this is Sunnydale, so we are not surprised when one of the girls spontaneously bursts into flames during the tryouts. Eventually our attention is drawn to Amy, who is pretty uncoordinated but whose mother really, really, REALLY wants her to be on the sqaud. Every time something bad happens to another one of the girls, Buffy and Amy move up the ladder of cheerleading success. "The Witch" is--surprise, surprise--the episode that introduces the occult into the Buffy universe, which has major implications for Willow down the road. Written by Dana Reston, it is clearly the stronger of the two episodes on this particular tape. "Never Kill A Boy On The First Date" does have a marvelous moment where Buffy goes after the bad guy screaming, "You killed my date!" Remember the sub-text for Buffy is that High School is Hell for children, so here we have Buffy trying to at least pretend she is a normal student and actually go out on a normal date. Just wait until Owen finds out what "normal" means in the wonderful and wacky world of Buffy.
	Slayer Pack (1997) It's no secret that Buffy creator Joss Whedon was unhappy with the hilariously campy and charming 1992 film about his vampire-slaying heroine. When the opportunity for the Warner Brothers series came along, he set out to present his complete vision of the teen dream. This set is a nice introduction to Buffy (petite and pretty Sarah Michelle Gellar); her watcher Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head); her best friend, the computer whiz Willow (winning Alyson Hannigan); their devoted but slightly goofy friend Xander (Nicholas Brendon), and the self-involved beauty Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter). Also featured is Buffy's angst-ridden, 240-year-old beau-to-be, Angel (David Boreanaz). Sunnydale, where former Los Angelean Buffy now resides, just happens to be at a Hellmouth opening, allowing for the presence of not only vampires, but all kinds of beasties and demons. This keeps Buffy and her posse very busy. The two-part opener, "Welcome to Hellmouth" and "Harvest," introduces Buffy and audiences to her new high school, her friends, and her enemies. Most importantly, the episodes introduce a demon who'll plague her through the series' first season: the Master. She also meets Angel, the most beleaguered vampire this side of Lestat's Louis. Together, the newfound friends and the watcher battle--and win (for now)--against the Master's minions. "The Witch" is an early example of the demons Buffy faces--it's not just about staking vamps. Here Buffy meets Amy (a recurring character), whose mother is a cheerleader-obsessed--you guessed it--witch. "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" explores a recurring theme: Buffy's thwarted attempts for normalcy in her life. As viewers come to expect, demons get in the way. Here, the Anointed One (a kiddie vamp) is crowned. Buffy learns the true identity of the mysterious and handsome Angel, who's spent the last 80 years without a kill. The couple agree not to pursue a relationship (yeah, right). Another episode that explores the demonic is "The Puppet Show," which borrows from the familiar theme of the possessed ventriloquist's dummy. Some episodes are quite graphic ("The Puppet Show," for example, features a potential brain removal), but there's always the inevitable triumph of good over evil. This justifiably popular phenomenon serves up healthy messages of loyalty and friendship, complete with hip, dead-on funny dialogue and great clothes. It's also a celebration of the quirky and the odd(balls).