Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Best Season Was Altered Due to a Real-Life Tragedy

It’s hard to believe how long it’s been since Buffy the Vampire Slayer first aired. The show’s first episode aired in March 1997, and fans were instantly hooked. Even now, decades later, fans still talk about how much this show changed and impacted their lives.

Those feelings might have become more complex in time, given news and revelations, but it doesn’t change how the series made us feel at the time. However, that’s not to say real life didn’t impact the show then. The show’s third season had to shuffle its episodes around following a tragedy and, while the decision was the right move, some people questioned releasing two episodes at all.



WARNING: This article includes a discussion of school shootings.The Columbine Massacre of April 1999 shook the whole country. There aren’t words to describe how terrible and shocking it was, as the effects still linger to this day.

We won’t discuss the details in this article, partially out of respect for the victims, but also to reduce coverage for the perpetrators.Following this tragedy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer reshuffled its schedule, pushing two episodes to air much later in the season. The affected episodes were “Earshot” and “Graduation Day, Part 2.

”[RELATED: Charisma Carpenter Wants Cordelia to Return for Buffy Reboot, Shares Dream for the Series]Season 3: “Earshot”Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s episode “Earshot” was originally meant to air on April 20, 1999, a week after the above events. Higher-ups for the show and WB immediately postponed the episode, and you only need to look at the plot for this episode to understand why. It all starts with Buffy hearing the voices of her classmates in her mind.

This could have set the scene for interpersonal drama within the group (like how Buffy tried to read Angel’s mind), but instead, it went to a much darker place.While at school, Buffy’s mind-reading powers force her to realize that one of her classmates plans to kill all the other students. The problem is she’s not sure who it is, thus beginning a mad dash to uncover the truth before it’s too late.

The story eventually reveals that one student (Jonathan) was planning on committing suicide while a lunch lady was plotting to poison the students’ lunches.Given that the episode portrayed a young student loading a rifle, they delayed airing this episode until September 1999, and they likewise delayed the season finale. Critics praised the show’s portrayal of Jonathan’s pain and the honest conversation it created.

There was likewise some debate about whether or not the episode should have been scrapped altogether.[RELATED: James Marsters Breaks Silence on Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot: “I Think the World Needs Her”]Season 3 Finale: “Graduation Day, Part 2”“Graduation Day, Part 2” was not only the finale of the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but also the second episode to be delayed due to a real-life event. The two-parter was initially meant to begin airing in May but was ultimately held until July.

Once again, digging into the plot of this episode makes the decision clear. The first episode in the pair set high stakes, with Faith shooting Angel, the Mayor planning an Ascension, and later Buffy stabbing Faith.The events of “Graduation Day, Part 2” somehow upped the ante — and admittedly got even darker.

While Buffy and Angel make full recoveries, too much is happening for them to stop it all in time. The Mayor’s Ascension ritual is a success. If this had been a supernatural occurrence, it probably wouldn’t have hit so hard.

Unfortunately, the Mayor allied with armed students who attacked and killed the Principal and several other students. The unintentional similarities continue as Buffy’s team resorts to detonating a bomb to destroy the demon and the school alongside it.Had the episode not been penned so close to a real-life tragedy, it likely would never have been wrapped up in controversy.

However, there were highlights to counter the darkness, including students rallying alongside Buffy and crew to help fight demons and worse. As such, critics have positive things to say about the episode overall.“Graduation Day, Part One” aired on schedule as intended.

However, on May 26, 1999, they made a last-minute decision to play a rerun instead of “Part Two,” drawing additional attention followed by criticism. It probably didn’t help that the episode wasn’t delayed in Canada, so determined viewers still had access to the episode and thus knew what the executives were trying to shy away from.The post Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Best Season Was Altered Due to a Real-Life Tragedy appeared first on ComicBook.

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