Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 1 Episode 5: Never Kill a Boy on the First Date

Buffy kills a vampire while Giles lectures her on not being good enough. In the ashes of the vampire she killed he finds a ring. The Master reads the prophecy about the anointed one, how five will die and he will rise. The anointed one will lead Buffy to her death and the Master is pissed that they almost messed it up by going out a night early. This episode by Rob Des Hotel & Dean Batali sets the stage for the rest of the season. Pretty much everything until Spike shows up and kills the little brat.

Buffy is showing off to Giles that she can figure out what is going on just as well if not better than he can. Buffy in on her A game so she has to get knocked off, enter Owen! The cute guy that Buffy has a crush on. He seems like a bit of an awkward loser to me but Buffy and Cordy both seem to love him. Go figure. Giles tries to get back on track with finding out about the vampires that are in town but Buffy could care less. All she can think about is Owen.

Buffy brags to Willow and Xander gets jealous, that is his favorite color this season. Everything makes him jealous. Buffy tries to sit with Owen but Cordy blocks her and makes her look like a fool. Karma is a mean mistress. Cordy asks Owen to come out to the Bronze and he in turn invites Buffy. Cordy is heartbroken.

Giles tells Buffy about the prophecy of the anointed one and that it happens tonight, the same time that Buffy has her date with Owen. She is forced to blow it off and go to the graveyard with Giles where nothing happens. He lets go and she rushes to the Bronze only to find Owen in the arms of Cordelia. Leaving Buffy heartbroken. She leaves and goes home feeling defeated.

It turns out that Giles wasn't wrong. It was this night, they were just in the wrong place. A nearby bus is attacked by the vampires. Five people were killed.

Owen tells Buffy how sad he is hat she never showed. He tells her how Cordy kept throwing himself at him and he has no interest. He only likes Buffy. She says yes to their date. Giles shows up and shows her the article about the bus crash. He thinks that it might be the prophecy, turns out he is right, but Buffy won't hear it. She is going on her date with Owen no matter what.

Giles decides that he is going to check it out on his own. Buffy and Owen left before Giles but when Willow says that they should go with he jumps to going with Buffy and Owen, Giles is far too gone. I love the writing on this show. It is always so witty.

Buffy and Owen are having a great time on their date. Cordy shows up and right away tries to steal Owen away from Buffy. He isn't having it. She isn't use to getting shot down and doesn't handle it well. She storms off, leaving Buffy and Owen alone. No sooner does Giles get to the morgue than he is attacked by a gang of vampires. He runs inside and locks himself in a room. He is out numbered and out fanged. Willow and Xander show up, talking to Giles from outside a barred window. Giles sends them to go and get Buffy.

Cordy is bitching about Buffy and Angel walks in. She says Hello Salty goodness, the same thing she says in Spin the Bottle when she goes back to being a teenager and meets Angel. I love call backs like that. When Cordy sees that Angel is here for Buffy it pisses her off even more. She isn't the only one who quickly becomes upset. When Angel finds out that Buffy is on a date he gets upset. Xander and Willow show up, Buffy wants them all to leave but they say morgue and she figures out that Giles in trouble. She tries to ditch Owen but he follows her.

Buffy gets Xander and Willow to distract Owen while she goes and finds Giles. She tells him to stay hidden while she gets Owen and the others out of there. I don't get how Owen isn't picking up on something being wrong here? He is very slow. Xander and Willow block the door so that no one can get in and Owen just goes with it. He opens a curtain just in time to see the crazy guy from the bus rise as a vampire. The gang think that this must be the anointed  one. Buffy and Giles hear him attack the others and rush to their aid. Buffy takes him on so the other can escape but their path is blocked by the other vampires.

Buffy and Giles are tossed around like a rag doll and Owen rushes to help her. Xander and Willow  follow him, after all they promised Buffy they would keep him safe. Owen knocks out the vampire and makes sure Buffy is ok. The vamp wakes up and kills Owen, not really but that is what Buffy thinks, that's why the episode is named Never Kill a Boy on the first date. His death gives Buffy the anger she needs to beat the vampire by throwing him in the fire. She finds out Owen is alive and rushes to his side. He starts acting all weird and doesn't want to be around her. Poor Buffy.

Buffy asks Willow and Xander if Owen asked about her, they tell her no. Xander starts hinting around that she should date him but then Owen shows up and Willow drags Xander away. Buffy and Owen talk about what happened the night before. He asks her out again. He tells her how amazing last night was. He wants to go get in danger with her again. She tells him no. She breaks it off with him because she doesn't want to get him hurt. He is after the wrong thing and she knows it won't end well. Giles shows up and tells her about the time he learned about his destiny, even talks about his grandmother being a watcher, remember we learned about her in Tales of the Vampires? Giles helps Buffy deal with the break up. That this isn't the end of the world and that it isn't her fault that he was almost killed.

Buffy and Giles pat themselves on the back for killing the anointed but well the prophecy says the slayer will not know him, will not stop him and she didn't. Turns out the little boy on the bus is the anointed one. The season turns here and we are in for one hell of a ride!