3 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episodes That Still Make No Sense, And One of Them Is Still Perfect

Buffy the Vampire Slayer might be one of the best urban fantasy shows ever, but that doesn’t mean every episode came together by the end. For each masterpiece like “The Body or Once More, With Feeling”, there are a few hours of Buffy TV that are confusing or flat-out messy. The series has been known to stretch its metaphors or pursue bizarre plotlines in the name of comedy, and sometimes, fans got episodes that felt like they should never have left the writer’s room. 

Still, Joss Whedon wasn’t afraid to swing for the fences with Buffy, and sometimes even the misses ended up becoming part of the fun. A few episodes have aged into cult classics precisely because of their nonsensical mayhem, but others remain largely hated and even skipped over by fans. We’re counting down three Buffy adventures that make zero sense, and one of them is a comedy gem that fans will defend to the death. 

3) “Doublemeat Palace”

“Doublemeat Palace” in Season 6 stands out like a sore thumb as one of the least coherent Buffy episodes. Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy takes a minimum-wage job at the fast-food chain Doublemeat Palace, only to discover that the restaurant is hiding a big secret. The mystery of the “special ingredient” spirals into paranoia: Buffy suspects cannibalism, creepy coworkers vanish, and the wig lady lurks in the background. The episode’s metaphor of “soul-sucking jobs” should’ve worked, but ultimately becomes muddied when the climactic reveal basically undercuts the buildup.

Buffy herself didn’t seem to like the experience much, either, given the stupid hat, the uniform, and the drudgery. The filler episode doesn’t move the larger story forward or offer much emotional payoff; it’s just another example in a run of “let’s humiliate Buffy” moments that made this stretch of the show so bleak. Instead of exploring her PTSD in a meaningful way, the story piles another indignity onto her, and it’s hard not to wonder why the Watchers’ Council never thought to give her a salary instead of forcing her into fast-food purgatory. Fans point out that if Xander had been the one flipping burgers here, the whole thing might’ve made more sense. Instead, the episode was confusing, gross, and neither scary nor funny.

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2) “Where the Wild Things Are”

If there’s an award for the most tonally confused Buffy episode, “Where the Wild Things Are” is in the running. The setup is that Buffy and Riley’s nonstop dorm-room sexcapades somehow supercharge a haunted frat house, unleashing the energies of dead children tied to shame and repression. Already weird, right? Suddenly, characters are facing erotic hallucinations and creepy child apparitions. Even Giles gets pulled into the madness, giving us one of the episode’s only redeeming moments with a performance of “Behind Blue Eyes” that feels pulled from a totally different show.

Beyond the obvious, another problem is that the episode leans into Buffy and Riley’s romance in the most lifeless way possible. Their endless PG love scenes grind the main story to a “screaming” halt. Even the haunted orphanage, something that could’ve added depth, gets dropped before it goes anywhere interesting. The episode aims for something more nuanced, but ultimately feels like a “sin is bad” fable that doesn’t align with the show’s moral logic. The half-baked idea results in an uncomfortable mash-up of horror, sex comedy, and messy theming.

1) “Beer Bad”

It’s true that Season 4’s “Beer Bad” makes absolutely no sense… and yet it’s fantastic. Buffy drinks cursed beer at a college party and devolves into a caveman version of herself. She clubs Parker with a tree branch and grunts her way through the lines, even saving the day in Neanderthal mode. The episode’s allegory against drinking is pretty on-the-nose, and its execution has been criticized. However, “Beer Bad” is currently undergoing a reevaluation among fans and critics.

The campy tone makes it a nice break from the heaviness of the rest of the season. It doesn’t carry the emotional weight or character development of other Season 4 chapters, but is perfect in its own right. “Beer Bad” works in a way that the others on this list do not, because it fully embraces absurdity, keeps the theme simple, and actually lands its gags. Sure, the regression mechanics are hazy, and there are a few plot holes. But even if it didn’t initially connect with viewers, the episode’s growing cult following is a testament to its lasting ability to entertain. For many fans, this totally nonsensical episode is one of the best examples of Buffy the Vampire Slayer delighting in its own ridiculous antics.

Do you defend “Beer Bad” as comic genius, or is it skippable? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Want to stay up to date on the biggest geek entertainment news? Add us as a preferred source in Google – HERE, and join our community over on the ComicBook Forum for deeper takes and discussions!