Buffy Season II Episode Guide: Ted

After a night out with Willow and Xander, Buffy returns home and notices that something is not right. Buffy tells her friends to wait at the front door while she goes inside to investigate. Upon hearing what sounds like a bottle or glass breaking, Buffy bolts into the kitchen, only to find her mother and some man at the counter -- kissing. Buffy stands speechless while Joyce regains her composure and introduces her now boyfriend, Ted. While Joyce explains to Buffy how she met Ted, Xander and Willow are completely won over by both his cooking and generosity. He offers Willow a hard drive upgrade for free while Xander marvels over Ted's mini-pizzas. The only person who isn't impressed with Ted is Buffy, who is upset over seeing her mom with a man other than Hank, Buffy's father. That night, Buffy vents her anger on a vampire by repeatedly beating him with a trash can lid before finally staking him. Giles notices her odd behavior, but Buffy refuses to comment.

The next day at school, Buffy expresses her disapproval of the new man in her mother's life, but Xander and Willow simply brush it off as a common reaction from anybody whose birth parents have split up. Ted appears in the school and invites the gang to go mini-golfing with Joyce the following Saturday. Meanwhile, Giles stops by the computer lab and visits Jenny Calendar, who has been keeping her distance from him ever since she was possessed by the demon Eyghon. She explains that she needs both time and space, so Giles leaves the lab. That Saturday, Buffy hits her ball off the green, and Ted insists that she play by the rules instead of picking up the ball and starting over. Buffy walks around and drops the ball into the hole, but Ted catches her in the act and demands that she follow the rules. To Buffy's shock, Ted threatens to slap Buffy's face, but the others walk up just then. Ted returns to his nice demeanor and offers cookies to everyone, who once again shower him with praise while Buffy stands there in horror.

The next morning, Buffy tells her mom what Ted said to her at the course. Joyce doesn't believe her, so Buffy asks Willow and Xander to investigate Ted's background. In the middle of their conversation, Cordelia walks by. Xander compliments her outfit, but Cordy snaps back as if he had insulted her like he usually does. She walks off, and Xander chases after her, leaving Buffy and Willow thoroughly confused. Xander and Cordy agree to never tell anybody that they kissed, then go to the utility closet to make out. Willow finds out where Ted works, and Buffy goes to his office where he sells computer equipment over the phone. According to the board, Ted is the most successful salesman in the entire office. After he leaves for his lunch break, Buffy talks with Neal, one of Ted's co-workers. Neal tells her that Ted has a wedding planned in two months. Buffy then checks out Ted's desk. The only decoration whatsoever on it is a framed picture of Joyce. Recognizing the picture, Buffy pulls it out of the frame and unfolds it to reveal her own face next to Joyce's. Ted has taken a picture of Joyce and Buffy and folded it up to hide Buffy's face.

Later that night, Ted makes dinner at the Summers' residence. Buffy asks them if they're engaged, and both of them deny it. Displeased with her daughter's attitude, Joyce sends Buffy to her room. After sneaking out through her window and waiting in the park for any vampire activity, Buffy returns to her room and finds Ted waiting inside. All of her slaying equipment has been emptied out her dresser and placed on her nightstand. Ted has also read through her diary and believes she is delusional for believing in vampires. Buffy tries to keep him from leaving the room with her diary, but Ted smacks her against the wall. This is all the motivation that Buffy needs to finally attack Ted. Joyce comes upstairs just in time to see Buffy land multiple blows on Ted's body before sending him tumbling down the stairs. Joyce runs down and discovers that he must have broken his neck during the fall. The Slayer has just taken a human life.

After Ted is taken away in a body bag, Joyce and Buffy are taken to the police station. The detective has a hard time believing Buffy's story since her cheeks show no signs of bruises. They release them without pressing any charges...yet. The next day, Buffy draws stares from everyone at school. Xander and Willow try to find out what happened, but all Buffy can tell them is what everyone else is saying: she killed a man. With the Slayer out of action, Giles realizes that he must take over the vampire slaying duties until Buffy can regain her senses. Xander, Willow, and Cordelia discover a mixture of drugs in one of the cookies that Ted baked. It appears that Ted used his cooking to deceive everybody and prevent them from suspecting anything...that is, everybody except Buffy, who never ate his food. They find Ted's home address and follow it to an abandoned work shop. They discover a trap door hidden beneath a rug, and it leads to a room that looks like it came straight out of the '50s. Inside the closet, Xander discovers the bodies of Ted's previous four wives. This is more than enough evidence, so the three of them leave.