"The Harvest"
Luke is unable to kill Buffy when he’s burned by her cross; she takes advantage of the situation and runs. Outside, she saves Willow and Xander from vampires who make off with Jesse. Back in the library, Giles explains a bit of demon mythology to Willow and Xander, who find it hard to believe that vampires really exist. Darla offers Jesse to the Master, who learns that the Slayer is in Sunnydale. Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles work together to figure out where Jesse may have been taken, forming the first Scooby rescue mission. Luke decides to use Jesse to lure Buffy to the Master. Willow displays her computer skills by hacking into city files to help Buffy figure out where Jesse is. Buffy announces that she’ll go by herself, but Willow and Xander are recruited to help Giles with research, a task which they will undertake for years.
Buffy heads off to find Jesse but is stopped by Flutie, who refuses to let her leave school property. Of course, she sneaks off anyway. Willow and Xander are slightly excited to have a secret. Buffy runs into Angel again; he tells her not to go after Jesse but she doesn’t listen. Realizing that he can’t stop her, he gives her advice and wishes her luck. Xander follows Buffy and gets a crash course on some of the methods of slayage: "fire, beheading, sunlight, holy water, the usual." In the computer lab, Willow gets the better of Cordelia and Harmony Kendall (Mercedes McNab), tricking them into deleting their assignment.
Xander and Buffy find Jesse, who leads them into a chamber and then reveals that he’s been sired. Buffy and Xander make a run for it while the Master blinds one of his minions for losing track of the Slayer. Giles and Willow continue to research the Harvest as the Master, Luke, and Darla continue their preparations for the event. Giles informs Buffy that the Harvest means the end of the world - the Master will be resurrected and will destroy all humankind. The Scoobies determine that this incident will take place at the Bronze, but first Buffy needs to make a stop at her house for weapons. Unfortunately, Joyce is afraid that she’s falling back into bad habits and forbids her to leave the house again. Buffy decides that it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission and makes her first of many escapes through her bedroom window.
Cordelia and her Cordettes are hanging out at the Bronze when Jesse approaches and begins to dance with her. Darla, Luke, and their friends arrive and begin their feeding frenzy. The Scoobies arrive as Jesse declares his intentions to kill Cordelia. Buffy interrupts the Harvest and begins to fight the vamps as the Scoobies help the Bronzers out of the club. Jesse taunts Xander, who retaliates by staking his best friend. Buffy kills Luke, stopping the Harvest, disenabling the Master’s resurrection, and impressing Angel. The Scoobies themselves are impressed that they averted an apocalypse. (They should start getting used to that.) Back at school, the story going around is that the Bronze was invaded by rival gangs. Everyone else in Sunnydale continues on with his or her life while the newly-formed Scooby gang is excited to have a new hobby.
MORAL, or CRAMMING COMPLEX ISSUES INTO A NUTSHELL: Even if your mother grounds you, saving the world is more important.
R.I.P.: Jesse, Luke
WELCOME TO THE HELLMOUTH: Harmony
GRADE: B This episode, more than "Welcome to the Hellmouth," establishes the tone of the rest of the season, as well as the series as a whole.
MEMORABLE QUOTES - Giles: "For as long as there have been vampires, there’s been the Slayer. One girl in all the world, a Chosen One."
Luke: "You forget, metal can’t hurt me."
Buffy: "What exactly were you expecting?"
Written by Joss Whedon; directed by John Kretchmer
Buffy: "He loves doing this part."
Giles: "All right. The Slayer hunts vampires, Buffy is a Slayer, don’t tell anyone."
Buffy: "There’s something you forgot about, too. Sunrise! It’s in about nine hours, moron!"
Xander: "I don’t know, something. I mean, the dead rose. We should at least have an assembly."