Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer.
This tv show contains 127 potentially triggering events.
after the events of the s2 finale, buffy has left sunnydale and has no contact with her friends or family. willow specifically mentions the fact that buffy left without saying goodbye
The main plot of Season 2 centers on Angelus, a sadist who stalks Buffy and plays cruel tricks on her and her friends to make them paranoid. An example of this is a drawing of Buffy sleeping left on her bed while she sleeps.
***SPOILERS***
[S2 E21] Flashbacks of Angel religiously abusing Drusilla, who we know he has extensively tortured and abused to the point of insanity, while she is the main big bad of the season.***
[SEASON 3] Faith discusses how she was abused by her alcoholic mother when she was younger a few times, once in episode 17 while also torturing Buffy. Faith is also mistreated by her Watcher, Wesley, throughout the season which massively contributes to her decent into immorality later on.***
[S6 E16] We are reminded of a characters reoccurringly abusive family. He has a vision during the episode of himself growing older and going on to abuse his own wife and repeating the cycle. This is extremely distressing for him.
In addition to the other comments, season 6 episode 11 features a main character harassing someone she doesn’t like by messing with her sense of reality. (SPOILER)——— the character is invisible & makes a social worker think that she’s losing her mind by moving her coffee cup & telling her to kill. The woman is freaked out & gets sent home from work, but otherwise is fine.
"Nightmares" the young boy that the episode centers on is being abused by his coach. Buffy is emotionally abused by her father.
"Becoming, Part Two" It isn't direct, but there is a scene when Joyce finds out that Buffy is the slayer that could easily be triggering for LGBTQ people who have been rejected or kicked out by their parents. Joyce tells Buffy that she "can't accept" her being the slayer, tells her to just "stop" being the slayer, even makes a comment about "trying to join the slayer pride parade", and finally tells Buffy to "not bother coming home". If I remember correctly the creators of the show have stated that slayerness is meant in part to be a metaphor for LGBTQ people, but that might be a rumor. Either way, it definitely strikes a familiar chord, so tread carefully.
In 5x20 there are knights riding on horses. There is a joke about how the main characters should aim for the horses in order to take out the knights, but none are harmed during the fight.
S1e6 (The Pack) The school’s mascot pig was eaten. The incident itself is not shown, but there are scenes before it happens where the pig is squealing and the aftermath of the cage is shown. There is no blood.
Angelus kills Willow’s pet fish in season 2 episode 17 Passion and leaves them in an envelope for her to find. She mentions she’s glad she didn’t get a puppy like she asked for.
During the season 5 finale, something dragon-like is summoned and then effectively killed via a portal - not sure if that could possibly bother someone
There are multiple instances of bugs, snakes and rats, often used in jump scares. Some monsters are bug-like or serpentine (ex, season 1 has a giant preying mantis and season 5 has a giant serpent). Two different characters are turned into rats at different points.
buffy is drowned in the season 1 finale to the point of being dead for a few minutes. in season 3, a demon holds her under water until she goes limp and when she springs back up she says, "i hate when they drown me".
she also has a nightmare of faith drowning her by holding her down, so this might be a specific fear of hers.
People pinned down by vampires all the time Slayer gets tied to things all the time Episode Normal Again, Buffy is in a mental hospital and strapped to the bed
A girl is enchanted so that her mouth is covered over by skin
Spoiler:
When Buffy starts acting intoxicated during cheerleading practice, Xander covers her mouth to keep her from revealing the existence of witchcraft
Xander and other men are assaulted/coerced into less than consensual activity multiple times, and this is never treated seriously or regarded as rape/assault. They make jokes about it occasionally.
Many characters are cut during fight scenes but most notably for those who are triggered by self injury - a character cuts herself intentionally in season 5, episode 13.
in the final few minutes of the episode, a character dies as a result of having her throat slit. very little blood is shown, but the act itself is clearly visible on screen
Throughout the show, multiple characters (including main characters) struggle to breathe on multiple occasions. Characters drown, hyperventilate, choke on things, get strangled, etc.
It isn't shown on screen aside from the initial attack, but in Season 1, a few students attack and eat the principal. It is said afterwards that he was eaten.
In Season 1 Episode 10, Buffy lives through her fear of being buried alive. In Season 6 Episode 1, a main character wakes up in a buried coffin. In Season 6 Episode 2, in a detailed scene, the same main character breaks out of the coffin and uses their hands to dig their way up to the surface. Additionally, throughout the show, multiple vampires are seen climbing out the dirt of their graves, as people killed by being bitten by vampires are often buried before they turn into vampires.
In Season 7 Episode 15, a minor character is seen hanging from the ceiling after having committed suicide offscreen. There might be other hangings that I unfortunately cannot remember.
There are many examples of asphyxiation throughout the show. In season 1 episode 11 specifically a villain attempts to suffocate a minor character with plastic but they are saved. In episode 12 a main character falls face-first into a pool of water a drowns, but they are resuscitated and survive. These are just the instances in season 1 and there are many more throughout the series
In season 3 episode 16 a “bad” version of a main character breaks two of a vampire’s fingers as a form of torture
Season 5, episode 19: the main villain this season holds a main character’s hand and for the duration of the scene she squeezes so hard her fingers break & she bleeds
In season 1 episode 11 a villain takes out medical equipment and threatens a main character in detail, saying that they will perform surgery on their face. The villain cuts the other character's cheek once with a scalpel, but is interrupted by another character.
One very major character dies multiple times. A major character dies in the series finale and it's very sudden and upsetting.
A character is seen dead at the end of season 5 episode 15. Season 5 episode 16 is completely centered around that character's death and is extremely hard to watch. Season 6 episode 19 has a very sudden, unexpected, and violent main character death.
Many characters who are probably sub-major but not minor die.
Throughout the show, multiple patents die. In Season 5 Episode 15, a main character finds their mother dead. For the entirety of Season 5 Episode 16, this character unsuccessfully tries in detail to revive their mother, and spends the rest of the episode in extreme distress, telling their sibling what happened, and trying to deal with the trauma. This death is frequently referenced throughout the remainder of the show, and the dead mother appears in several later episodes.
Throughout the show, multiple characters are seen in the shower, and watched, approached and/or attacked while in the shower. In Season 6 Episode 19, a main female character prepares for a bath and main male character unsuccessfully attempts to rape her in the bathroom.
Throughout the show, numerous characters (including main characters, and one inanimate object) are possessed either against their will or with consent in order to gain power.
In Season 5 Episode 16, a main character enters a shocked dissociative state and vomits. The character then cleans up the vomit. There might be other instances of characters vomiting non-graphically that I unfortunately cannot remember.
the opposite, they are portrayed almost exclusively negatively. best outright example of the shows views is in 2x9. the characters take career quizzes and buffy is extremely insulted by the idea that she could go into law enforcement. also a line they give to xander that is imo, very ahead of it's time.
xander-"they assigned you to the booth on law enforcement"
buffy-"as in cops?" *horrified look*
xander-"as in polyester, donuts, and brutality"
giles- "well now there's an idea- have you ever considered law enforcement?"
buffy- *goes to say something, can't, is too insulted to continue the conversation and just gestures to something unrelated to this plot with a very offended look on her face*
"Killed By Death" features them throughout
"Normal Again" has an extremely triggering transition that goes directly from a monster stabbing Buffy in the arm to a doctor holding a syringe in her arm in a hospital. There is no warning and you can clearly see the needle. My advice would be look away when the demon with the pointy hand thing shows up.
There are a few scenes of people in mental institutions. Also, for the entirety of Season 6 Episode 17, one of the main characters magically hallucinates that they're in a mental institution. In these hallucinations, the character is lead to believe that they've been in the institution for years and have hallucinated all of the events of the show.
In "The Puppet Show" a character has brain cancer, he is shown in some head pain and there are mentions of doctor visits but it is not discussed extensively. In "Lie to Me" another character has brain cancer, it is discussed extensively and with graphic language. In season 5 brain cancer is heavily featured in several episodes, most notably "Shadow" and "Listening to Fear" which discuss treatment and surgery, "The Body" (and the very last frames of the previous episode, "I Was Made to Love You") which show death/immediate grief from cancer, and several following episodes but particularly "Forever" which depict continued grief after death from cancer. It's handled sensitively and very realistically but could be extremely triggering.
A character displays many traits similar to autistic traits and can be considered autistic-coded, and is sometimes chastised for those traits (social ineptitude, special interests) but is never straight up abused.
S4E04 "Fear Itself" a haunted house plays with the main characters minds. in one scene a character is shown rocking back and forth and repeating the line "it's not real" to himself
S4E17 "Superstar" a character casts a spell that alters all of reality in order to make himself impossibly talented, capable, and beloved by all. the main character has a vaguely unsettling feeling for the majority of the episode that something about the world as they know it isn't quite right
Throughout the show, multiple characters panic on multiple occasions. In Season 5 Episode 16, a character enters a shocked dissociative state and vomits.
no, but throughout the show buffy is often mentioned as not eating when she is in distress. (1x12 "you must be full from that bite of dinner you almost had" or "the way you've been eating, we can afford it.")
buffy also loses quite a bit of weight throughout the show and there are times (usually at buffy's lowest, ex: 5x16) where she seems very sickly and it's played up using lighting and contours
02x19: “I Only Have Eyes For You†- an abusive relationship ends with a murder-suicide. 03x10: “Amends†- A character attempts to kill himself, emotionally intense. 03x18: “Earshot†- A character plans to kill himself, but is talked out of it. (This is the episode where a school shooting is discussed.) 04x11: “Doomed†- A character tries to kill himself. (Note that it's a vampire, and it's played mostly for laughs/not graphic.) 05x22: “The Gift†(major spoilers) - A character kills themself, but it is done as an act of sacrifice, not mental illness. 06x02: “Bargaining Part 2″ - A disoriented, traumatized character attempts to kill herself, but is talked down. 06x07: “Once More With Feeling†- no direct suicide attempt is made, but suicidal thoughts and major depression are major themes throughout the episode (and season 6 in general). 07x04: “Help†- It's speculated that a character is contemplating suicide, although she turns out not to be. 07x06: “Him†- While under the influence of a magic spell, a character tries to kill herself. 07x15: “Get It Done†- A character commits suicide (we also see the body).
S2E20 "Go Fish" two separate instances of a character being dropped into a body of water against their will. both characters are pulled underwater, though the camera does not follow them and all shots are from above water level
there are multiple instances during the course of the show in which a character makes a hand gesture that in the UK is considered equivalent to giving someone the middle finger (index and middle finger up with the palm facing inward)
In Band Candy there are babies shown being carried off by monsters, with the intent to feed them to a demon. The demon is not shown eating any babies and it is implied that all survived when they were rescued
Not antisemitism in the sense that it isn't done with malicious intent, but early on in the series, a main character who is Jewish has to remind her friends a few times that she does not celebrate Christmas, but they keep forgetting and talk about the holiday as if she also celebrates. It's a small thing, but it's noticeable.
the bully kids approach a fat kid at the bronze and tell him to get out of the seat because they always sit there. one says "shouldn't you be hovering over a football stadium with goodyear written on you?"
a (now known to be possessed) xander laughs and buffy and willow are appalled by him and the bullies.
There are many uses of the G racial slur, including a main character being Romani in season 1/2 & reproducing many racial stereotypes. Also Buffy mocks a character’s African accent in the second season (possibly more that I don’t remember). There is regularly dialogue that did not age well (including use of the R word in the season 6 finale).
Buffy is in two relationships with vampires, which have been alive for hundreds of years, and Xander is in a relationship with an ex-demon, who has been alive for thousands of years.
Hells and demons are major parts of the show’s lore. One of the main characters is a former demon, two main characters are half-demons (in the show’s lore, vampires are dead humans possessed by a demon soul).
There are “non-human” characters who engage in sexual acts with human characters, but they’re not animals, they are sentient supernatural beings and very much able to consent…. Honestly, I’d argue that the vampires, werewolves, even many if the demons (like Anya) are still at least partially human.
in a flashback, a characters mother taunts him and claims that he has romantic/sexual feelings towards her but it is not true and she only does it to torture him. it is uncomfortable but nothing happens
Throughout this musical episode, Buffy alludes to how pointless her life feels. “Something to Sing About” is the clearest example. As the song goes on, it becomes more clear that Buffy is looking for a reason to live. The other characters tell her that life is just living, and she has to go on.
"Out of Mind, Out of Sight" Cordelia almost gets hit by an oncoming vehicle but Buffy saves her in the last second. It's a suspenseful scene.
Late Season 5, maybe "Spiral"? I can't recall. But there is a scene where Buffy and Dawn are on the sidewalk confronting Glory, who is in the street. Buffy says the word "bus" and then Glory gets hit by a bus. It's very sudden and quick, and there's no blood or anything. Glory survives it because she's a god.
01x12 Prophecy Girl": Buffy is bitten and passes out and then dropped into shallow water face down where she drowns. She is then given mouth-to-mouth and resuscitates.
Season 4 has a military operation as the main antagonist, and from the start of the season they're seen wielding large guns.
"Angel" Darla wields two hand guns briefly and shoots them loudly.
"Halloween" Xander has a toy plastic gun for a Halloween costume that is turned into a much larger, real gun in a spell. He points it at the camera at one point, although the gun is still reasonably far away. In another scene, though, he fires the gun to scare away monsters and it is very loud.
"Innocence" it's not a gun but Buffy uses a rocket launcher
"Earshot" the episode centers around a potential school shooter that turns out to be a suicide attempt. The gun is shown but never fired.
"Shadow" Spike has a large gun that he loads and points at the screen. He talks about killing Buffy with it and even raises it to bludgeon her with but stops. [SPOILER] As others have mentioned, in Season 6 Episode 19, a character who seems to be insane storms into Buffy's backyard and shoots both Buffy and Tara. Both wounds are seen in intense detail, and Tara's scene in particular is disturbing. She does not survive. The scene is mirrored in "The Killer In Me" when Willow holds the same gun that the killer did in the same position as he did, and even threatens a person with it. Earlier in the episode she is seen at a gun store.
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