Why Buffy The Vampire Slayer's First Willow Episode Is So Unpopular
El is a Junior TV Features Editor for ScreenRant, with previous experience as The Mary Sue's UK and Weekend Editor. She holds a Bachelor's in International Media and Entertainment Management, as well as an MA and Ph.D. in Creative Writing. There is little she loves more than discussing her favorite TV shows with fellow fans. One day, she hopes to publish an original fantasy novel.
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer's first Willow-centric episode was, and still is, deeply unpopular. For a show with 144 episodes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has relatively few genuinely terrible or wasted episodes. Most are in the show's earliest seasons, as Buffy was still finding its footing and tone, fitting itself into an episodic, "monster-of-the-week" structure before it became more serialized from the end of season 2 onwards.
Despite its flaws, the show's first 12-episode season proved Buffy the Vampire Slayer could be great; the finale perfectly captures Buffy's struggle with her destiny and duty as the Slayer, which becomes a major part of her character arc in later seasons. Still, not every main character had such a great showing in season 1. The show's first Xander-centric story in episode 4, "Teacher's Pet," for instance, is a messy, uncomfortable affair (literally), as the terminally unlucky Xander falls for his teacher, who turns out to be a giant, man-eating praying mantis.
Willow's first spotlight story in "I, Robot... You, Jane," suffers from a similar focus on the future witch's love life. Four episodes after Xander's bug-riddled mess, Willow chats with an ancient demon who's accidentally been sucked into the internet and falls for his online alter ego, Malcolm. It's the lowest-rated episode of the season on IMDb with a score of 6.6, 0.1 lower than "Teacher's Pet."
It's also one of the lowest-rated episodes of Buffy on IMDb as a whole, higher only than Buffy and Riley's infamous sexual escapades in season 4, episode 18, "Where The Wild Things Are," and the bizarre beer-infused Neanderthal story of season 4, episode 5, "Beer Bad," both of which hold a score of 6.3.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer's "I, Robot... You, Jane" Was Bad At The Time And Is Even Worse Now
"I, Robot... You, Jane" is one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's schlockiest episodes, an inconsistent mess that does Willow's character a real disservice. For someone as brilliant, computer-literate, and recently demon-savvy as Willow, it's hard to believe she would so easily let herself be led on by a stranger in a chat room. Of course, no one is perfect, and part of Willow's early characterization involves her feeling inferior to Buffy and pining after Xander. Still, this episode takes it too far.
The demon Moloch may be seductive, as the episode's somewhat pointless cold open tries and ultimately fails to establish — the episode never really explores what kind of magical factor makes him so desirable aside from him telling everyone he loves them, especially once he's trapped online — but Willow has zero autonomy. It doesn't help that the episode ends with a newly formed robotic Moloch taking on Buffy in what amounts to one of the show's least impressive action sequences, turning the story from something with actual (if superficial) insight into a meandering dud.
Sunnydale · Watcher’s Council Examination Buffy the Vampire Slayer Trivia “Into every generation, a Slayer is born.”
🗡The
SlayerChosen One
🧛VampiresCreatures of Night
🔥HellmouthPortal Below
👥ScoobiesScooby Gang
✨MagicDark Arts
01
She was chosen to fight the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. Which actress plays Buffy Summers across all seven seasons of the series?
✓ Correct! Sarah Michelle Gellar brought Buffy Summers to life from 1997 to 2003, creating one of the most iconic female action heroes in television history. Her blend of vulnerability, humor, and fierce determination defined the character and the show.
✗ Staked! The answer is Sarah Michelle Gellar. Alyson Hannigan plays Willow, Charisma Carpenter plays Cordelia, and Eliza Dushku plays the rogue Slayer Faith. Only SMG is the one and only Buffy Summers.
02
Buffy and her friends live in a fictional California town built directly on top of a mystical convergence of dark energy called the Hellmouth. What is the name of this town?
✓ Correct! Sunnydale, California sits atop the Hellmouth, a portal to demon dimensions that attracts supernatural activity like a magnet. The town’s ironic name — sunny and pleasant on the surface, literally hellish underneath — perfectly captures the show’s tone.
✗ Staked! The answer is Sunnydale. Mystic Falls is from The Vampire Diaries, Santa Carla is from The Lost Boys, and Beacon Hills is from Teen Wolf. Only Sunnydale sits on the Hellmouth.
03
Every Slayer is assigned a Watcher — a mentor from an ancient British organization who guides and trains her. Who is Buffy’s beloved Watcher throughout most of the series?
✓ Correct! Rupert Giles, played by Anthony Stewart Head, serves as Buffy’s Watcher and surrogate father figure. The school librarian by day, Giles is a repository of occult knowledge with a rebellious past — his younger self was known as ‘Ripper.’ His bond with Buffy is one of the show’s emotional pillars.
✗ Staked! The answer is Rupert Giles. Wesley is the by-the-book replacement Watcher who later joins Angel’s team, Quentin Travers heads the Watchers’ Council, and Merrick was Buffy’s first Watcher (from the original film). Giles is the one who truly shaped Buffy.
04
Buffy’s first great love is a vampire cursed with a soul, who was given his conscience back by Romani as punishment for his terrible crimes. Who is this brooding vampire?
✓ Correct! Angel, played by David Boreanaz, is the vampire Angelus cursed with a soul by the Romani people after he murdered a girl from their clan. His tormented romance with Buffy is the emotional core of the early seasons, and he eventually got his own spinoff series, Angel.
✗ Staked! The answer is Angel (Angelus). Spike is a different vampire who gains a soul later by choice, Oz is a werewolf (Willow’s boyfriend), and Riley Finn is a human soldier from the Initiative. Angel is Buffy’s first star-crossed supernatural love.
05
In the critically acclaimed Season 4 episode ‘Hush,’ the Gentlemen steal something from every person in Sunnydale. What do they take?
✓ Correct! The Gentlemen steal everyone’s voices, rendering the entire town unable to speak or scream. The episode is famous for having almost no dialogue, forcing the cast to communicate through physical acting. It earned Buffy its only Emmy nomination for writing.
✗ Staked! The answer is their voices. The Gentlemen need silence so no one can scream when they come to cut out hearts. The episode’s near-total lack of dialogue made it one of the most innovative hours in TV history and earned the show its only Emmy writing nomination.
06
Buffy’s best friend Willow Rosenberg begins the series as a shy computer nerd but eventually becomes one of the most powerful beings in the Buffyverse. What is the source of her immense power?
✓ Correct! Willow, played by Alyson Hannigan, develops into an incredibly powerful witch over the course of the series. Her magic arc goes from floating pencils to nearly destroying the world as ‘Dark Willow’ in Season 6 — one of the show’s most dramatic character transformations.
✗ Staked! The answer is witchcraft and magic. Willow’s journey from timid hacker to world-ending witch is one of Buffy’s most compelling arcs. Her addiction to dark magic in Season 6 and eventual mastery of her powers in Season 7 show the full spectrum of her character.
07
Which bleach-blonde vampire starts as a villain who has killed two Slayers, but over the course of the series falls in love with Buffy and ultimately sacrifices himself to save the world?
✓ Correct! Spike, played by James Marsters, goes from one of Buffy’s deadliest enemies to one of her most devoted allies. After seeking out a soul of his own free will — unlike Angel, who was cursed with one — Spike sacrifices himself in the series finale to close the Hellmouth and save the world.
✗ Staked! The answer is Spike. Angelus is Angel’s evil alter ego, Drusilla is Spike’s sire and former love, and Darla is Angel’s sire. Only Spike made the journey from Big Bad to self-sacrificing hero, choosing to earn his soul rather than having it forced upon him.
08
The Season 6 episode ‘Once More, with Feeling’ is a full musical where the cast sings and dances. What supernatural force causes the townspeople to burst into song and reveal their deepest secrets?
✓ Correct! Sweet, a dapper singing demon summoned accidentally by Xander, forces everyone in Sunnydale to express their hidden feelings through song — with the deadly side effect that some people literally dance themselves to death. The episode is widely considered one of the greatest TV musical episodes ever made.
✗ Staked! The answer is a demon named Sweet. Xander accidentally summoned Sweet with an amulet, unleashing musical chaos across Sunnydale. The songs revealed painful truths — Buffy’s depression, Giles’s plan to leave, Tara’s suspicion about Willow’s magic — making it both entertaining and emotionally devastating.
Sunnydale · Patrol Complete Your Slayer Record
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/ 8
Chosen One — or just another Sunnydale civilian?
It's a shame, because the basic premise of "I, Robot... You, Jane" was surprisingly forward-thinking: an episode about the dangers of online dating and catfishing before the term was popularized by Nev and Ariel Schulman's documentary, aptly titled Catfish, in 2010. Sadly, this insight is lost beneath incredibly corny dialogue — who can forget the infamous line "If you're not jacked in, you're not alive"? It's like listening to a present-day LinkedIn post — and strange characterization.
Thankfully, Jenny Calendar's introduction, her flirtatious banter with Giles, and the episode's depressingly hilarious final sting, in which our favorite Sunnydale High trio tragically predict the heartbreak of their upcoming romances, somewhat redeem an otherwise forgettable and inconsequential adventure. Monster-of-the-week episodes can be really fun when done right. This wasn't one of them.
Willow Quickly Recovered After Her First Focal Episode Was A Miss
Despite a shaky first focal episode, Willow quickly became one of Buffy's most interesting, complex, and important characters. Better yet, the show builds on the insecurities Willow displays in "I, Robot... You, Jane" and the rest of season 1 and makes them matter to her development and future story arcs, rather than continually using them as a cheap way to lure her into painfully obvious demon traps.
For most of the series, Willow is driven by her insecurities; she fears being abandoned by Buffy and Xander and becoming disposable. It's what drives her as a computer geek and later as a witch. As long as she has knowledge and power, she'll be useful. As long as she has knowledge and power, those who love her will never leave her. Willow, perhaps more than characters like Buffy and Giles, feels painfully human; deeply flawed and well-rounded in a way few other Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and wider Buffyverse) characters ever were.
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