Buffy Season I Episode Guide: Prophecy Girl

At the Bronze, Xander is planning to ask Buffy out to the school prom. He practices his lines on Willow, who relishes the moment, imagining that she herself is the actual target of Xander's affections. Elsewhere, Buffy fights and slays a vampire, her third for the night. In Sunnydale's library, Giles is translating the Pergamum Codex that Angel gave him earlier. Upon translating a line that reads, "The Master shall rise...", he discovers a horrifying prophecy regarding the Slayer. Suddenly, the room starts shaking, as an earthquake hits Sunnydale. Underground, the Master realizes that this is a sign of his imminent ascent to the surface.

Giles is extrememly relieved to see that Buffy is still alive the next day. He doesn't tell her about the prophecy, and Buffy heads off to her biology class. After class, Xander asks Buffy to the prom. She declines his offer, telling Xander that she just doesn't have any romantic feelings towards him. Heartbroken, Xander goes to an empty classroom, where Willow finds him. Hoping to salvage the situation, Xander suggests that Willow should be his date to the prom. She refuses, noting that he would only be thinking of Buffy the entire time. Meanwhile, in the library, Ms. Calendar stops by Giles' office to tell him about the strange reports that have been circulating around in the news. She sees them as signs of the apocalypse, but Giles is reluctant to tell her what is going on. Later that night, Giles has a meeting with Angel in his office. As they discuss the prophecy in the Codex, Buffy enters the library. She has just come from the girl's locker room, where she witnessed blood pouring out of one of the sinks. Neither Giles nor Angel notice her presence, so they continue to discuss the prophecy. Buffy is at first pleasantly surprised to see Angel, whom she hasn't seen since their farewell kiss at the Bronze's Post-Fumigation Party. Her reaction changes to tragic shock, however, upon hearing Giles tell Angel that, according to the prophecy, the Slayer will face the Master...and die.

Upon hearing the news, Buffy announces her retirement to a speechless Giles and Angel. They try to tell her that she can't do anything about it, but Buffy's mind is already made up. Later, Willow calls Xander's house from her home, but all she gets is a quick hang-up from Xander, who is lying on his bed, listening to Patsy Cline. Buffy flips through her old photo albums on her bed as her mom enters the room. Buffy wants to leave town for an impromptu vacation, but Joyce is too busy with her work at the gallery. Joyce then surprises her daughter by revealing that she purchased a prom dress that Buffy had been eyeing for quite a while.

The next day at school, Cordelia and Willow discover several murdered students in the rec room, one of whom is Kevin, Cordelia's boyfriend. As she screams over Kevin's body, Willow steps into the room, seeing all the blood splattered over the walls. In the Summers' home, Buffy is trying on her dress when her mom runs into the room and tells her about a news report concerning Sunnydale High and Willow. Buffy visits Willow at her house, who describes her trauma over seeing so many of her friends lying dead in a room that she visits daily. Seeing her friend in a wrecked emotional state, Buffy decides that she must fulfill her duties as the Slayer and follow her destiny. At the library, Ms. Calendar has learned everything from Giles, including Buffy's role as the Slayer. Giles informs her of his plan to face the Master himself. Just then, Buffy enters the library, telling them that it's her job to face him. When Giles refuses to send her to her death, Buffy knocks Giles unconscious with a single punch then leaves. Outside the school, she sees a little kid asking for her help. Buffy knows from overhearing Ms. Calendar's conversation with Giles that this child is the Annointed One, so she voluntarily allows the child to lead her to the Master.

Shocked at hearing about Buffy's departure to meet the Master, Xander pays Angel a surprise visit at his apartment. Using a cross, Xander convinces Angel to lead him to the Master's lair and rescue Buffy. While they head towards the lair, Giles, Willow, and Ms. Calendar realize that the vampires may try to attack the prom at the Bronze as soon as the Hellmouth is opened. Giles stays in the library as Willow and Ms. Calendar head out to the parking lot. Before they can reach her car, they notice dozens of vampires approaching the school from all directions. Underground, Buffy faces the Master, who pulls her towards him with a hypnotic force. Helpless at his control, Buffy can only cry as the Master reveals that she is the reason that he will rise to the surface. If she had never gone to face him, he wouldn't be able to break free from his prison. The Master then sinks his teeth into her neck and drops her to the ground. As he leaves his lair, Buffy falls into a pool and drowns. Xander and Angel arrived shortly after the event, only to find Buffy lying in the pool. Angel rushes over and picks her up, then declares to Xander that Buffy is dead.

Xander refuses to believe this, realizing that Buffy is not breathing and may have drowned. He tells Angel that they have to perform CPR. Angel notes that Xander must do it, for he himself has no breath to do it. Xander performs the resuscitation, and soon, Buffy snaps back to life, spitting out the water from the pool. As they pick her up, she declares that she feels different and stronger. Back in the school parking lot, Cordelia pulls up behind Willow and Ms. Calendar in her car. They hop into the car, and Willow tells Cordelia that they have to get back to the library. Cordelia then floors the accelerator and drives straight through the school doors and down the hallways, braking right in front of the library. They run in and shut the doors just as the vampires catch up with them. Giles rushes over to barricade the door, not realizing a tentacle emerging from a hole in the floor. Atop the school roof, the Master stands at the edge of the roof and stares the city's skyline. In the library, the tentacle grabs Willow's ankle and attempts to pull her towards it, but Ms. Calendar pulls Willow back, keeping her from being dragged in. Suddenly, more tentacles fly out, wrapping themselves around various parts of the library. A large, wide-mouthed creature emerges from beneath the library. Giles recognizes it as the Hellmouth, and rushes over with an axe to attack it. Back downstairs, Buffy leaves Angel and Xander at the entrance while she ascends to the rooftop. A couple vampires try to get past the two guards, only to be slain. Buffy makes it to the roof and surprises the Master, who thought she was dead. He tries to use the same hypnosis to pull her towards him, but this time she is unaffected. As they battle, the Hellmouth knocks Giles onto a table, breaking into several, jagged pieces. Buffy sees a part of the table that's sticking up from the floor, and throws the Master through the skylight directly onto the table. It penetrates his chest and heart, and the Master flesh and muscles immediates turn to dust, leaving behind only his skeleton. As he dies, the Hellmouth retreats underground, closed once again. The vampires stop their invasion and escape. Everyone regroups in the library, observing the damage. At Xander's suggestion, they leave to head towards the Bronze, finally getting to enjoy the school prom, while the Master's skeleton remains impaled on the library desk.

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