Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a classic of late '90s television, from the incredible outfits to the witty dialogue. Although the series starts off as wacky, spooky teen fare, its tone changes drastically over seven seasons as beloved characters face insurmountable obstacles and question whether they'll ever find happiness or safety in a terrifying, vampire-ridden world.
Despite these challenges, fans know that the show's bittersweet but triumphant ending fulfills many of the characters' desires dating all the way back to Season 1. While some wishes are desperately fought for, others come true in ways the characters would have never expected.
Willow: To Get Together With Xander
Before becoming one of TV's premier gay icons, Willow Rosenberg spent the first two seasons of Buffy pining for her childhood best friend Xander. Aside from the pair briefly 'dating' at age five, Xander is never aware of Willow's crush, and in Season 1 he only has eyes for Buffy, the charismatic new girl in town.
In Season 3, Willow and Xander share an intimate dance that ends in a surprising kiss, and despite both being in relationships, they strike up a brief affair for the only time in the series.
Joyce: To Be Close To Her Daughter
In Season 1, and for several seasons to follow, Joyce Summers struggles to relate to Buffy, a loving but closed-off daughter who seems to always get herself into trouble. In the pilot, the small family has had to relocate to Sunnydale after Buffy burnt down her L.A. high school's vampire-infested gym (events relayed in the 1992 film.)
By the time of Joyce's tragic death in Season 5, Buffy has revealed her secret life as the Slayer to her mother, and Joyce, although initially horrified, has become a true er of Buffy's mission.
Cordelia: For Buffy To Leave Her Alone
In Season 1, Cordelia is Sunnydale's queen bee, a cruel and superficial antagonist to the burgeoning Scooby Gang. Although Cordelia initially attempts to befriend Buffy, their relationship nosedives after Buffy connects with the unpopular Willow. For the rest of the season, Cordelia tries (sometimes unsuccessfully) to have as little as possible to do with Buffy and the weird goings-on she attracts.
In Season 3's "The Wish," the now-ex-Scooby's wish that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale is magically granted, creating a hellish alternate timeline where Sunnydale is overrun by vampires.
The Master: To Kill The Slayer
The Master is Season 1's Big Bad, an ancient vampire with a network of minions who's been trapped for 60 years in an enchanted cave under Sunnydale. The season's main antagonist desperately wants to fulfill a prophecy predicting his escape and destruction of the Slayer.
The prophecy comes true in the season finale when the Master hypnotizes Buffy, bites her, and throws her into a cave pool. Although she briefly dies, she is revived by R and goes on to slay the Master in the school library.
Xander: To Get A Girlfriend
In Season 1, Xander is the fast-talking comedic relief of the Scooby Gang. While Buffy and Giles struggle with matters of far greater importance, Xander is preoccupied, like many teenagers, with pursuing girls. He develops a crush on Buffy practically on sight, strikes up an ill-advised romance with a teacher who is actually a predatory She-Mantis, and gets possessed by a lustful hyena spirit.
By the finale, Xander has not only had a turbulent relationship with high school it-girl Cordelia, but also married (and separated from) the vengeance demon Anya.
Willow: To Gain Confidence
Although she is clearly a gifted teenager, Buffy's first season often finds Willow powerless, unsure of herself, and in need of rescue. In "Welcome To The Hellmouth," Buffy must save her after she's lured to a cemetery by a cute vampire, and a few episodes later in "I Robot, You Jane," she's ensnared by flirtatious instant messages from a digital demon.
By Season 6, Willow's main struggle as a now-powerful witch is to control her strength and, in contrast to her former difficulties as a shy, bullied underdog, to show mercy even to those who've wronged her.
Buffy: To Balance Her Slayer Duties And Her Friendships
Buffy is introduced as a girl torn between her duties as the Slayer and her desire to live a normal teenage life. Despite the pressures of Slayer tradition to work alone, suppress her feelings, and conceal her identity, Buffy learns that her relationships are in fact her most valuable assets.
This discovery is realized when Buffy is magically imbued with her fellow Scoobies' best qualities to fight Adam in the Season 4 finale, and equally in Season 7 when Willow activates all potential Slayers the world over to defeat the First Evil.
Giles: For Buffy To Listen To Him
Buffy and Giles' relationship gets off to a rocky start, with Buffy proving a sarcastic and impudent student who has her own ideas of how a Slayer should behave.
As their relationship evolves across the series, Buffy grows to hold Giles in extremely high regard and to value his knowledge and opinions immensely. Even after she and her friends graduate, they spend the show's later seasons practically living in the former librarian and pseudo-father figure's magic shop.
Angel: To Atone For His Actions
Angel is introduced as a mysterious ally to Buffy, a vampire cursed with a soul and ravaged by guilt over his wicked and violent past.
Although his desire to overcome his vampire nature is derailed when he returns to his soulless form in Season 2, Angel demonstrates in Season 3 (and in his later returns to Buffy in crossover episodes with Angel) even greater wisdom and desire to right his wrongs. Atonement is a lofty goal, but the thoroughly selfless brooder is committed to achieving it.
Buffy: To Keep Sunnydale Safe
Buffy stands out as a Slayer for her comion and genuine care for every Sunnydale resident's life.
Buffy's wish ends up coming true in the finale as her team's efforts cause the Hellmouth to collapse, destroying Sunnydale but, ironically, keeping all its evacuated residents safe (or at least, far safer) in perpetuity.