As well as being a beloved, forward-thinking, science fiction drama, Buffy The Vampire Slayer also catered to those who loved to watch the romance unfold. Throughout Buffy’s seven seasons of brilliant madness, Joss Whedon and the other writers gave viewers so many couples that they could root for.
Buffy herself got involved in several interesting relationships which still splits fandom down the middle today. However, it wasn’t only the Chosen One who was lucky in love. All of the Scooby Gang had multiple relationships. This then cleared the way for countless adorable gestures witnessed which made everyone feel warm and happy.
Xander’s Prom Gift
For the majority of Season 3, Cordelia and Xander were at bitter odds. In the previous season, they had gotten together and were actually quite a successful couple. However, in the third season episode “Lovers Walk”, Cordelia caught Xander cheating on her with his best friend, Willow.
Heartbroken and betrayed, Cordelia started back up her vendetta against her ex, and Xander responded by giving as good as he got. It looked as though even their friendship was beyond repair until Cordy admitted to Xander that she was broke and couldn’t afford her prom dress. When she next turned up to work, Cordelia found that Xander had paid for it himself and she was truly touched.
Willow Chooses Tara
Season 4 was a complete and utter emotional rollercoaster for Buffy’s resident witch. She and Buffy started university, her relationship with Oz began to decline, and she slowly began to develop feelings for another girl in her Wicca group. However, it was Willow’s break up with Oz that devastated her for months.
Willow took a long time to get past Oz, as he had been an important part of her life for so long. Eventually, though, she began to get feelings for Tara, a shy witch who tried to back up Willow. The two started to become close, and then Oz returned. Despite her lingering feelings for her ex, Willow chose Tara and turned up on her doorstep with a candle.
Xander Proposes To Anya
From the moment Anya first appeared in Season 3, it became clear that she was an extremely complicated character. She saw the world in a very simplistic way but she proved to be a very complex, yet loveable character in her own right. Her relationship with Xander was one of the best of the series.
During the Scooby Gang’s final fight against Glory in the last few episodes of Season 5, Xander and Anya were tasked with finding powerful objects which could be used against the Hell Goddess. During this moment, Xander took the opportunity to propose. The way Anya accepted his proposal and their happiness is why these two are loved by fans long after the show had ended.
Oz Forgives Willow
“Lovers Walk” really did a number on all the central couples of Buffy’s third season. Spike returned and convinced Angel and Buffy that they still loved each other deeply, and also indirectly caused a rift between Willow, Xander, Cordy, and Oz. Like Cordelia, Oz was similarly heartbroken when he caught Willow cheating.
Willow tried her best to make things right, but Oz refused to assuage her guilt, coldly informing her that it wasn’t his responsibility to make her feel better. However, Oz still had strong feelings for Willow and eventually forgave her, telling her that he missed her terribly. The two then rekindled their relationship, much to the delight of everyone watching.
Cordelia’s Acceptance Of Xander
Back in Season 2, Cordelia and Xander started to develop a strange attraction to one another, frequently making out in the janitor’s closet. This then slowly evolved into a relationship in which both participants were happy. However, Cordelia wanted to protect her image and so demanded they keep it a secret.
On Valentine’s Day, however, Xander got her a lovely gift, whereas Cordy dumped him. Classy, right? This then lead to Xander casting a love spell that affected everyone but Cordelia. In the end, though, Cordelia learned her lesson and publicly berated her friends before walking off hand in hand with her now-public boyfriend, Xander.
Willow Tries To Let Oz Know She’s Ready
After cheating on Oz with Xander, Willow naturally felt horrible, and guilty for all the pain that they had caused. In the tenth episode of Season 3, however, she and Oz talked and he revealed that he wanted to resume their relationship. Willow was obviously thrilled but she still felt bad.
She and Oz agreed to have a quiet night in to themselves, and so they settled on having a movie marathon night. When Oz turned up on Willow’s doorstep with some films, he discovered that she had a romantic evening planned. Although they didn’t go through with it, Oz was touched by Willow’s gesture and the two began to rekindle their relationship in earnest.
Anya’s Wedding Vows
When Xander and Anya got engaged in Season 5, everyone was delighted for the happy couple. However, come Season 6, viewers started to realize that the couple might not get the happy ending they deserved after all. In the follow up to the wedding, Xander was very clearly having major doubts about the whole marriage situation.
Anya, on the other hand, couldn’t be more thrilled about marrying her best friend. For all her fussing about the wedding, all she wanted was to be married to Xander. This was never made clearer than in her vows, in which she stated that she finally understood ’love’ because of Xander. This was utterly adorable and made the non-wedding even more tragic.
Buffy Tells Spike She Loves Him
Buffy and Spike’s relationship remains probably the oddest coupling in the history of television. Spike first developed feelings for Buffy in the show’s fifth season and then Buffy used Spike for sex during her depression. However, due to Spike’s lack of a soul, their relationship never progressed any further.
In Season 7, though, after Spike got his soul back, Buffy was unsure of where her feelings lay. She remained fond of Spike for the majority of the season and Spike went along with whatever she wanted. However, when Spike sacrificed himself in the series finale, Buffy finally told him that she loved him, just as he passed away.
Spike Gets His Soul Back
Season 6 was a very dark time for Buffy, both the show and the Slayer. Buffy was struggling to adapt to her old life after being ripped out of Heaven, which resulted in her suffering from depression. During this time, Buffy’s only confidante was Spike, who she later developed a sexual relationship with.
However, this came to a shocking end when Spike tried to force himself on Buffy. Appalled with himself and what he had tried to do, Spike left Sunnydale in a fit of angst. While the Scooby Gang fought off Dark Willow, Spike was completing a number of trials in order to get his soul back, so that he could be the man he thought Buffy deserved.
The Claddagh Ring
Before he was sired and made a vampire, Angel lived in Ireland. In Season 2 of Buffy, Angel and the Slayer were about to be separated for a long time. As it was Buffy’s birthday and their supposedly final goodbye, Angel gave Buffy a Claddagh ring, which the Irish apparently gave to each other as a sign of devotion.
If one wore the ring with the heart pointing inwards, it meant that they belonged with someone. It was an incredibly thoughtful gift and Buffy clearly loved it. However, at the end of the same episode, Angel lost his soul and reverted to being Angelus, rendering the ring a tragic reminder of what Buffy had lost.
