Welcome to Rewatching Buffy, the part of the blog where I rewatch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Each Tuesday evening, you’re invited to join me as I attempt to rediscover what made me love this show 21 years ago.

Living Conditions

• Buffy’s roommate likes to listen to Cher’s “Believe.” On repeat.
• Not that it isn’t a super fun song and all…
• So Buffy heads out for an espresso. To which Kathy (the roommate) decides to make a passive-aggressive remark regarding Buffy’s nocturnal activities.
• Oh, and Buffy drank some of her milk…
• Buffy’s breaking all the unspoken rules.
• Buffy and Willow are out on patrol and Buffy hears something. Willow admits she’s chewing her gum loudly.
• That’s funny because she would later play Lily on How I Met Your Mother, a character known for chewing everything loudly.
• The thing Buffy heard turns out to be an unseen demon that’s watching her from the bushes.
• Once Buffy’s by herself, Kathy decides to show up. Then the demon attacks.
• After Buffy beats him away, we see the demon talking with another of his kind. “She may be the one.”
• Yeah, she’s the Slayer. We get it.
• While checking in with Giles on recent demon shenanigans, Buffy can’t help but complain about the roommate.
• Meanwhile, Kathy is trying to scrub mud out of her sweater that she was wearing when Buffy saved her life.
• Failing to get the mud out, Kathy decides to borrow one of Buffy’s sweaters. Without asking.
• Probably pay back for the milk drinking incident.
• Oh, and she stumbles upon Buffy’s bag of weapons in her closet. So much snooping.
• In the cafeteria, Buffy meets a boy.
• He’s charming. And probably a douche bag.
• His name’s Parker. We’ll probably be expected to remember him at some point.
• Buffy joins her friends… then so does Kathy.
• “Is that my sweater?” Yeah, Buffy noticed.
• She also watches while Kathy gets ketchup on the sweater.
• On the phone with Willow, Buffy complains a little more. While Willow is dealing with party central in her room.
• Buffy heads to the fridge and sees that Kathy has labeled everything in there.
• That night, Buffy dreams that the demon that attacked is, I guess, stealing her soul?
• Something smokey leaves Buffy’s mouth and enters the demon’s mouth. Looks like soul stealing to me.
• I mean, if I was gonna steal a hot girl’s soul, that’s how I’d do it. Mouth to mouth.
• As Buffy shares with Giles, Willow, and Oz about her dream, who should mosey up but Kathy.
• She claims to have had the same kind of dream.
• Giles points out that they’re both being targeted by the demon that attacked them the other night.
• The demons begin some kind of summoning spell. Probably not a great sign.
• Oh, look, Parker’s in the room hanging out with Kathy. He’s waiting for Buffy, but Kathy’s super flirty with him.
• Okay, at this point Buffy and Kathy are actively trying to get under each other’s skin.
• Willow is worried about Buffy’s mental state, so Oz volunteers to go hang with Buffy to watch for red flags.
• On the way to seeing Buffy, Oz passes by some girl that makes him do a double-take. Hmm…
• Oh, and remember the commandos from the end of last week’s episode? They’re passing by in the background behind some bushes.
• The act of Kathy clipping her toenails is beyond obnoxious.
• The act of Buffy tapping her pencil against her desk is equally obnoxious.
• Everything either of them does seems to inspire homicidal thoughts in the other.
• As Buffy sleeps, she’s once again visited by the nightmare demon. Apparently, so is Kathy.
• Buffy has come to the realization that Kathy is evil. And, being a fighter of all things evil, Buffy is going to have to kill her.
• Part of Buffy’s argument: toenails. She collected Kathy’s toenail clippings. They apparently continued to grow after they’d been clipped. That’s definitely a demon thing.
• Willow advises Buffy to go see Giles. Where the guys all ambush her and tie her up. For her own good.
• Giles believes that Buffy has been possessed by the demon that attacked earlier in the episode.
• Willow goes to warn Kathy. But Kathy is exhibiting some crazy talk herself.
• Buffy gets loose and knocks out Xander and Oz so she can go confront Kathy.
• Back at the dorm room, the fight ensues. And Buffy rips Kathy’s face off. Yep, she’s a demon.
• Not just any demon. She’s the same kind of demon that attacked before.
• Meanwhile, those other demons finish up their summoning spell. They call forth another of their kind. It asks, “Where is she?”
• Buffy’s nightmares? It’s been Kathy trying to steal Buffy’s soul. See? Soul stealing. Totally called it.
• Kathy’s been trying to steal Buffy’s soul so that the other demons wouldn’t be able to find her. They look for the one without a soul. So she’s been borrowing Buffy’s. Without asking.
• Giles finds a spell that should reverse the spell.
• Buffy gets her soul back. And the other demons show up and take Kathy home. It’s a very dramatic exit.
• With Kathy gone, Willow moves in.
• Body count: Everyone lives! Hurray!