There was only one Buffy the Vampire Slayer Christmas episode, and it was an important one as it explained some major franchise questions. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was always set up to take place in short periods of time, which is why there were only three Halloween episodes in its seven seasons on the air. However, the show never took place during Christmas other than in one season, the third, with an episode called “Amends,” released on December 15, 1998. This episode, airing initially 27 years ago, was during a season where Angel returned from Hell, and it was the one that explained a lot about why he was back and what it all meant for Buffy and the Scooby Gang.
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Here is a look at the only Buffy the Vampire Slayer Christmas episode and what it revealed about Angel and Buffy’s relationship.
Angel’s Return From Hell Explained
The second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer showed Spike showing up in Sunnydale and eventually corrupting Angel to return to his soulless demonic form. It ended with Angel recovering long enough to watch Buffy drive a sword through him to save Sunnydale and the world, and sending Angel straight to Hell. However, for unknown reasons, Angel returned from the dead in Season 3, and Buffy tried to help him recover from what seemed like an eternity in Hell.
Finally, in the 10th episode of Season 3, “Amends,” Angel’s reason for returning was revealed. This episode saw Angel tormented by nightmares and visions of all the people that he had killed. His visions revealed that the only way he could stop the torment was if he killed Buffy or if he took his own life. This is when Buffy and Giles figured out what was happening. The First Evil brought Angel back from the dead with the sole purpose of using the vampire to destroy Buffy.
Not only did this reveal for the first time why Angel was brought back to life in Season 3, but it also showed that he was likely never going to have a lasting relationship with Buffy Summers. Angel admitted that it wasn’t the demon in him that needed to be destroyed, but the human side, because he wasn’t strong enough to fight his evil nature. However, there was a moment at the end of the episode that revealed this might not be true, no matter what the First Evil tried to claim.
This was long before the First Evil became the big bad, but it was proof that it was this being who was pulling strings throughout the entire series. Even though this was Season 3, it was the First Evil who remained a consistent threat and was the final villain that Buffy and her allies had to destroy in the final season of the show, long after Angel was gone. That said, this was an essential episode because it was the First Evil’s first-ever appearance, and the only one before the final Buffy the Vampire Slayer season.
Joss Whedon Explains Christmas Miracle
Angel chose to kill himself rather than hurt Buffy. However, this was a double-edged sword because it would hurt Buffy no matter what. However, to keep from losing control and killing Buffy, Angel walked up a hill and waited there for the sun to come up so he could die by suicide and end everyone’s suffering. However, it was not meant to be. The First Evil was too strong and Angel felt there was no way he or Buffy could fight it, and his only way out was with his death.
However, Angel didn’t die. Buffy showed up and tried to talk him out of it, but Angel was defeated and was ready to end things. Instead, the sun never came out. That is because the heat wave ended, and it began to snow. The clouds covered the sky as the snow fell, and there was no sun shining in the sky. Angel’s life was saved. Joss Whedon, who is an atheist, said this wasn’t meant to show that God saved Angel. According to Whedon, it was still a “Christmas miracle,” but more in pagan terms of Christmas mythology than religious ones.
This also led Angel to come to the decision that the snow was sent as a notice. Angel admitted that he might have been saved for a purpose and that there was still something that he needed to accomplish in his life before he died. This marked the beginning of the end for Angel and Buffy, as he ended up leaving Sunnydale completely after Buffy’s prom and her giant battle against Mayor Wilkins at the end of Season 3. It was in the Christmas episode, “Amends,” that Angel’s departure was set into motion.
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Image courtesy of Netflix.
