The Big Picture
- Season 2 of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
shifted the series dramatically, setting the stage for darker storylines. - Jenny Calendar’s death was a pivotal moment that changed the tone of the show and impacted all of the characters deeply.
- Jenny’s death forced the characters to mature and face the reality of loss, preparing them for future tragedies in the series.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a reigning classic during the late 90s and early 00s. Following Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) as she honed her destiny as a vampire slayer, the show was a twist on the typical teen show format and opted for some spookier aspects mixed in with the classic high-school drama. One of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s biggest strengths was adapting to its surroundings and the times. Where most teen shows tend to spin their wheels once the characters grow out of high school, Buffy took it in stride and allowed the show to grow with them. It still kept its signature humor throughout, and its kick-ass fashion, but it began to delve into heavier topics and deal with the more emotional aspects of Buffy’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) life as a slayer. A lot of fans call out Season 6 as the season where the change was most noticeable, but there was a moment much earlier in the show that laid the groundwork for the darker path Buffy the Vampire Slayer would eventually take. That moment was when the show tragically killed off Jenny Calendar (Robia LaMorte) in Season 2. The show slowly began introducing more drama-heavy subplots throughout the second season, but it was Ms. Calendar’s death that truly served as a wake-up call, and was the turning point of Buffy’s early seasons.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
A young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
Season 2 of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer” Shook the Series Up
There are a few pivotal moments throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s run that fans consider to be a turning point of sorts for the series. The earliest being the Season 1 finale “Prophecy Girl.” Buffy emotionally telling Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) that she wants to quit her destiny of being the slayer, and that she doesn’t want to die, is one of the show’s most gutting moments, and it’s surprising that it happens so early on in the show. Season 2 continued to up the stakes, most notably with the episodes “Surprise” and “Passion,” which sees Buffy and Angel (David Boreanaz) make love for the first time. It’s a huge moment for the couple that ends up being horrifically tragic when it’s revealed that Angel lost his soul in the process because he experienced true happiness. It reverts him back to his old evil self, “Angelus.” He’s no longer the uncharacteristically gentle vampire that Buffy fell in love with, he’s cruel, and he’s crass, and he’s taking lives for sport instead of helping save them.
The following episodes see Buffy struggle to come to terms with this new side of Angel. Which was obviously going to be difficult considering the fact that he was her first love, and a night that was supposed to be special and sacred turned out to be the very thing that stripped away what was left of his humanity. No one could really blame Buffy for her turmoil over the sudden change, and it only got more difficult when she and the rest of the gang discovered that Jenny Calendar’s family and ancestors had something to do with the curse that was put on Angel. This puts not only a rift between Buffy and Ms. Calendar but also puts a big ole’ target on Jenny’s back that would prove to be lethal.
It’s revealed eventually that Jenny was sent to Sunnydale to watch Buffy and keep her and Angel apart, however, she wasn’t told what would happen if she didn’t succeed. She began work on translating old languages to try and figure out how to reinstate Angel’s soul again, while Angel was on a rampage tearing through people to leave a message for Buffy. It all came to a head when he discovered Jenny was trying to reinstate his soul, and he immediately set his sights on her. And though she was pretty well a main character at this point, being both Giles’ love interest, and one of the few who knew about the supernatural ongoings in Sunnydale, it turned out she wasn’t immune from harm. In the episode “Passion,” which is widely considered one of the best Buffy episodes among fans, Angel arrives at Sunnydale High School and chases Jenny through the halls. And just when you think she might make it out, Angel catches up to her and snaps her neck in a moment so sudden you almost don’t believe it happened. And really, why would you? Up until this point, the show hadn’t really killed off any major characters, yes some villains, but no one that we had grown to be attached to. Killing Jenny off not only devastated fans, but also devastated the characters, and rocked their worlds in a way they weren’t prepared for.
Jenny’s Death Had a Major Effect on the Scooby Gang
As if her death wasn’t tragic enough, Angel takes her body and stages it in Giles’ home — in his bed, no less. When he walks up the rose-petal-lined stairs he’s met with the sight of Jenny dead on his bed, and it feels as if every ounce of air just gets sucked out of the room. It’s so gutting to watch as Giles’ face goes from pure joy to just utter devastation and shock. No one could have seen it coming, and that’s why it made such an impact on the series going forward.
Jenny was more than just Giles’ love interest though, and as devastating as it was for him to lose her, it proved to be just as difficult for the rest of the characters. Jenny was first introduced as the computer science teacher at Sunnydale High, and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) took great interest in her class. As the episodes went on, we saw a sort of bond begin to grow between teacher and student. It was subtle, but it was definitely there. In fact, Jenny is the one you can thank for Willow’s eventual arc of becoming a witch. Her reaction to Jenny’s is devastating, it’s real, guttural sobs, and you can feel just how she loved and admired her. And of course, Buffy felt responsible for the death, since she was technically the reason Angel lost his soul to begin with. Her death forced Buffy to face facts and come to terms that Angel wasn’t Angel anymore, and that she would have to set aside the love she has for him in order to keep something like this from happening again. It set her on a path of vengeance, and she was more determined than ever to put a stop to Angel once and for all, and though it was a painful choice for her to make, it was one that was inevitable, and Jenny’s death was the perfect catalyst for it. And of course, there’s Angel himself, because once he does eventually regain his soul he has to face what he did when he reverted to Angelus. He had to try and make everything up to Buffy, Giles, and the rest of the gang, and somehow earn their trust back. And it wasn’t made easy on him either, as visions of those he had killed plagued him throughout his day-to-day life.
Jenny Calendar’s Death Changed the Series Going Forward
Jenny was the first death we witnessed that the Scooby gang had a real connection to. Yes, there had been classmates and whatnot that were unfortunately victims of a vampire or demon, but Jenny was one of them. She was a member of the Scooby gang, she helped them defeat said vampires and demons, she genuinely cared for all of them and was willing to do what she could to help them. And though none of them ever treated the vampire slaying like it was just a silly pastime, it was Jenny’s death that kinda smacked them in the face and showed them just how real it all was. No longer were the victims people they barely knew, it became evident that those they loved and cherished weren’t safe from carnage, and it was a fact the show had truly yet to acknowledge. Yes, Buffy often worried about her mom and her friends, but there had yet to be a moment that actualized those fears.
Jenny’s death, as devastating as it was, allowed the characters to evolve and mature. In a way, it sort of ripped away their teenagehood and plopped them in the real world — and it was a bleak change. Going forward, the show sort of let Jenny’s death hang above our characters’ heads. Everything they did felt a lot more calculated and thought out because they now knew they could lose someone at any point. It allowed the show to delve into darker storylines, and paved the way for later tragedies like Joyce’s (Kristine Sutherland) death — which is without a doubt the biggest moment in the show. Though Joyce didn’t die by way of the supernatural, we still watched as the Scooby gang mourned her and learned to navigate life without her presence. Jenny’s death may not have changed the trajectory of the show quite like Joyce’s did, but it was the first baby step into that emotional realm, and helped prepare us for the darker, more mature Buffy the Vampire Slayer we’d eventually experience.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
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