Emma Caulfield Movies

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) finds her continued sexual hijinks with Spike (James Marsters) and her dead-end job at the Doublemeat Palace interrupted by an unexpected visitor: ex-boyfriend Riley Finn (Marc Blucas). Last seen heading off to fight demons in Belize (see "Into the Woods"), Riley seeks Buffy's help in tracking a Savolti demon, whose lightning-fast breeding cycle makes it particularly nasty. During the mission that follows, the old flames each get a rude surprise: Buffy, when she meets Sam (Ivana Milicevic), Riley's fellow soldier and wife; and Riley, when he stumbles onto Buffy and Spike in bed together. Although it's her insecurity at Riley's apparently quick recovery from their breakup that sends Buffy back to Spike's boudoir in the first place, she's horrified to have her ex learn about her own latest liaison. Ever the standup guy, though, Riley assures Buffy that no matter what's going on with her job or her love life, she's still the strongest woman he knows. Riley's visit doesn't turn out quite so comforting for a certain bleach-blond vampire. Not only does the do-gooder reveal Spike to be the mastermind behind the Savolti-breeding scheme, he also inadvertently spurs Buffy to break things off with Spike. Avowing that she could never love Spike and has just been using him, Buffy apologizes to her dumbstruck lover and walks out on him. Originally broadcast February 26, 2002, on UPN, "As You Were" marked episode 115 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

When Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) nearly stumbles on the lair of the super-nerd troika, Warren (Adam Busch) and his cronies sic a demon on her. The fiend manages to stab the Slayer with its talon, sending her in and out of an alternate reality where her life as a demon-hunter is nothing but the delusions of an insane, institutionalized young woman. As she wanders through her day, jumping back and forth between realities, Buffy finds her alternate life terrifying but alluring. She's overjoyed to see her mother (Kristine Sutherland) alive and her parents still married, but the non-Slayer Buffy is still just a hopeless basket case in a straitjacket. Elsewhere, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) seeks to reignite her relationship with Tara (Amber Benson) and learns that Xander (Nicholas Brendon) still loves Anya (Emma Caulfield), despite having left her at the alter. Later, while Xander and Spike (James Marsters) capture the creature who has infected Buffy, Willow listens to the Slayer's musings about the depression that has plagued her since her resurrection. Ultimately, when Willow brews up a cure for the demon's spell, Buffy dumps it out, preferring to retreat into the comfort of padded walls in a world where Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) doesn't expect her to be a parent and Spike isn't threatening to reveal their illicit tryst. Only Tara's surprise intervention keeps the comatose Slayer from "exorcising" her friends as if they were figments of a troubled imagination. Bidding farewell to her parents, Buffy jumps back into her Slayer self. Back in the alternate reality of Buffy's vision, her folks cry over the shell of their brain-dead daughter. Originally broadcast March 12, 2002, on UPN, "Normal Again" marked episode 117 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) denies being attracted to Spike (James Marsters), both to herself and to the bad-boy vamp. But when he catches her holding on to a memento from their tryst, she grows furious and chops off a great deal of her hair. The Slayer soon gets an even more radical makeover when she's hit by an invisibility ray -- nerdy villains Warren (Adam Busch), Andrew (Tom Lenk), and Jonathan (Danny Strong) are at it again with the super-weapons. This time, the Slayer's happy for the change. Merrily pulling pranks on people around town -- including the social service worker who's been critiquing her parenting skills -- Buffy soon makes her way to Spike's crypt for some X-rated fun. Meanwhile, Xander (Nicholas Brendon) offends Willow (Alyson Hannigan) by accusing her of turning Buffy invisible. Miffed, the recovering magic addict sets about finding the real culprit -- without supernatural help. Thanks to Willow's exhaustive detective work, Anya (Emma Caulfield) discovers that anything hit by the ray gun soon turns to invisible mush. Looking to warn Buffy of the impending danger, Xander interrupts Spike and the Slayer's lovemaking. With Buffy invisible, though, Spike is able to pretend he's merely exercising. As Buffy continues her escapade, unaware that she's about to turn to pudding, the super-nerd troika kidnaps Willow. During the battle that follows, Buffy regains her visibility and finally comes face to face with the dorks who've been persecuting her. The geeks escape, but her near-jellification at their hands finally convinces Buffy to be grateful that she's back from the dead. Originally broadcast January 8, 2002, on UPN, "Gone" marked episode 111 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

The impact of Joyce's death (see "The Body") continues as Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and friends endure her funeral and its aftermath. The Slayer's dad doesn't even bother to call, but her vampire ex, Angel (David Boreanaz), arrives after sundown to comfort and reassure her that she'll get through this ordeal. Spike (James Marsters) even pays his respects with some flowers, reflecting his strange but longstanding bond with his ex-enemy's mother. A newly thoughtful Anya (Emma Caulfield) urgently makes love with Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and ruminates on the nature of mortality. Meanwhile, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), convinced by Buffy's steely exterior that her sister doesn't even care that Joyce is gone, sullenly insists on spending the night with surrogate siblings Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Tara (Amber Benson). There, she announces her desire to raise her mother from the grave, an undertaking that the Wiccan lovers sternly warn her can lead to no good. Nonetheless, Dawn "borrows" magical tomes from both Tara and the magic shop, then recruits Spike to assist in her sorcery. The pair receive instructions from a creepy "doctor" (Joel Grey) who warns them that Joyce may not come back as she was. Just as Dawn is completing her spell, Tara and Willow contact Buffy with the news that their necromancy references are missing. The Slayer rushes home and has it out with Dawn, revealing her own hidden emotional devastation, which convinces Dawn to cancel her enchantment the instant before Joyce's reanimated corpse would have walked into the family's home. In the end only two Summers women are left, but they're both on the floor crying and comforting one another. Originally broadcast April 17, 2001, on the WB network, "Forever" marked episode 95 of the cult-favorite series. The character of Doc would appear again in the season finale (see "The Gift"), while Willow would revise her thinking on resurrection the following season (see "Bargaining, Part 1"). ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

As Buffy the Vampire Slayer began its new life on UPN after five years on the WB, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) herself returned to the living thanks to the necromancy of her friend Willow (Alyson Hannigan). Her back-from-the-dead depression setting a darker tone for the series, the Chosen One faced new responsibilities as de facto parent of sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg). The show's producers have accurately described the theme of the sixth season as "real life is the 'big bad.'" Depression, addiction, relationship wreckage, and dead-end jobs did more to plague the Slayer than the actual bad guys, a trio of nerdy ex-Sunnydale students who fashioned themselves as super-villains. Previous guest stars Danny Strong, as Jonathan, and Adam Busch, as Warren, were joined by newcomer Tom Lenk, as Andrew; their endless Dungeons & Dragons and Star Wars banter provided the bulk of the season's comic relief even as their attempts at villainy grew darker and more successful. Meanwhile, in the celebrated episode "Once More, With Feeling," series creator Joss Whedon fulfilled a lifelong ambition to write a musical. Falling under the spell of an all-singing, all-dancing demon, Buffy and the Scoobies found themselves bursting into song to declaim their innermost feelings. The big revelations included the reservations Xander (Nicholas Brendan) and Anya (Emma Caulfield) felt about their impending marriage; the fact that Willow had manipulated the memories of her girlfriend, Tara (Amber Benson); and the anger Buffy felt when her friends' resurrection spell plucked her not from hellish torment, but from peaceful reward.

With Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) heading back to England in an attempt at tough love, an isolated Buffy turned to the smitten Spike (James Marsters) for comfort. The graphic depiction of the pair's twisted sexual relationship proved controversial, especially to Gellar, who later complained that she found the portrayal degrading. Gay-rights activists, who had long praised the show's depiction of lesbian love between Willow and Tara, raised even bigger objections to the climactic story line. After spending the season attempting to recover from her highly metaphorical addiction to magic, Willow went mad and nearly destroyed the world to avenge Tara's death at the hands of über-geek Warren. An affectionate riff on the classic "Dark Phoenix" saga in Whedon's beloved X-Men comics, this "Dark Willow" story line -- including a promotional spot that declared "Hell hath no fury...like a Wiccan scorned" -- struck some viewers as a sad capitulation to pop culture's "crazy lesbian killer" stereotype. Not that things went very well for the show's heterosexual romances, either. Xander left Anya at the alter, leading her to resume her role as a vengeance demon. And Spike, dumped by Buffy, attempted to rape her, then endured a series of supernatural trials to earn back his human soul and become worthy of her love. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

As the gang digest the implications of Glory (Clare Kramer) being a hell-god rather than a garden-variety demon, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) lays another whopper on them. She reveals that Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) is "The Key" that Glory so desperately seeks. Although Dawn herself caught snippets of that knowledge two episodes earlier (see "Triangle"), she doesn't grasp its implications until Spike (James Marsters) helps her sneak into the magic shop and read up on her origins. Horrified to learn that she is not truly human but rather an ancient mystical force given mortal form and memories mere months ago, the distraught teen experiences a meltdown in the midst of Buffy's 20th birthday party. The Scoobies are unsure how to comfort her, so the Slayer goes into research mode while Willow (Alyson Hannigan) works on a sort of supernatural burglar alarm to protect Dawn. As Glory is off decimating the ranks of the Knights of Byzantium, Dawn continues to act out her feelings of alienation. She sneaks out to the hospital to commune with the unfortunates who have been driven mad by Glory's soul-draining touch and are therefore capable of seeing what Dawn truly is. Dawn soon runs into Ben (Charlie Weber), the handsome doctor who recently treated her mother and who unwillingly shares his body with Glory. Ben intuits that Dawn is The Key, but then Glory takes over his body and, failing to make the same realization, tries to pump Dawn for information. Buffy shows up and brawls with Glory, who is vanquished only when Willow and Tara (Amber Benson) slap her with a teleportation spell. Unfortunately, though, Dawn's memory of Ben transforming into Glory seems to have been erased, opening a vulnerability the hell-god will exploit in the subsequent episode "Spiral." Originally broadcast February 6, 2001, on the WB network, "Blood Ties" marked episode 91 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

After the previous episode's romantic tug-of-war (see "Crush"), love is once again in the air. Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) nearly goes on a date with cute doctor Ben (Charlie Weber), unaware that he actually time-shares his mortal shell with the malevolent Glory (Clare Kramer). Meanwhile, a disturbingly perky woman named April (Shonda Farr) arrives on the scene looking around frantically for her boyfriend, Warren (Adam Busch). She responds violently, and with great strength, to the vulgar flirtations of Spike (James Marsters), who's only hitting on her to assuage his hurt feelings over Buffy's rejection. The Scoobies figure out that the blank, cheerful, determined April is actually a robot. In fact, she's a sex-bot created by the nerdy Warren, who has since ditched his creation to enjoy a relationship with an actual human being named Katrina (Amelinda Embry). When Buffy confronts Warren about the mess he left behind, an incensed Katrina dumps him. Soon, the human girlfriend almost falls victim to the robot one, who's still searching for the man she was constructed to love. Buffy intervenes, saves Katrina, and comforts April as her batteries run down into oblivion. Saddened by the seemingly inane but actually thought-provoking wisdom she's received from the dying robot, Buffy breaks her date with Ben just as he's transforming into Glory. Spike, however, is less easily dissuaded from his infatuations. He turns to Warren for another sex-bot, this time in Buffy's image. Originally broadcast February 20, 2001, on the WB network, "I Was Made To Love You" marked episode 93 of the cult-favorite series. The character of Warren would reappear throughout the subsequent sixth season, slowly morphing from a misguided nerd into a villain capable of killing a member of the Scooby Gang. Pop sensation Britney Spears was in talks to play sex-bot April, but the part eventually went to Shonda Farr. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

As the newly resurrected Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) horrifically digs herself out of her grave, her friends scatter, unaware that their necromancy actually worked before it was interrupted by a demon biker gang. Meanwhile, those same demons continue to pillage Sunnydale, overjoyed that the only Slayer now standing in their way is the ineffectual Buffy-bot. Spike (James Marsters) valiantly protects Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) from the carnage, while Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and the others do what they can to battle the leather-clad fiends. Meanwhile, a near-catatonic Buffy wanders the town and witnesses her robot double being dismantled by the bikers. Ultimately, she must face off with the demons in an alley while her nearby friends slowly realize she's the real Slayer and not the 'bot. Elsewhere, Dawn learns of her sister's return from the mutilated robot and rushes off to find Buffy, who, still speechless, has fled from the Scoobies. The Summers sisters find one another atop the rickety tower from which Buffy fell to her supernatural death some months earlier. Dawn can't seem to believe it when Buffy asks her if this is Hell and seems on the verge of taking a second plunge. Hysterical, the girl tells Buffy she can't live without her. The pair barely make it to the ground before the tower collapses, but Buffy doesn't look nearly as happy about her return from the dead as Dawn does. Originally broadcast October 2, 2001, on the UPN network as part of a two-hour block with the previous installment, "Bargaining, Part 2" marked episode 102 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Despite the return of her beloved former watcher, domestic and financial issues compound the dark depression in which the Slayer has wallowed since her return from the dead. A flooded basement sends Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) scrounging for a loan when she learns that her mother's insurance money has long since been exhausted. Just as she's being turned down by the loan officer, Buffy witnesses a demon attacking the bank. During the confusion, the fiend's unseen accomplice makes off with a wad of cash. Angry about losing out on her loan and letting the demon escape, the exhausted Slayer heads to the training room to let off some steam. Soon Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) appears, fresh off the plane from England and full of reassuring wisdom. Worried that Buffy doesn't seem quite herself, he chastises an unrepentant Willow (Alyson Hannigan) for her foolhardy trafficking in dark magic. Elsewhere, three other former Sunnydale High misfits make use of the black arts: nerdy inventor Warren (Adam Busch, see "I Was Made to Love You"); class dork Jonathan (Danny Strong, see "Superstar"); and Andrew (Tom Lenk), the science fiction-obsessed younger brother of Tucker, the villain of "The Prom." These three hapless self-styled super-villains plan to use their ill-gotten gains from their earlier bank robbery to take over the entire town. The demon who assisted in their larceny tries to take out the Slayer, but Buffy vanquishes it -- without learning a thing about the creature's three very human accomplices. Originally broadcast October 16, 2001, on the UPN network, "Flooded" marked episode 104 of the cult-favorite series. Andrew, Jonathan, and Warren would appear throughout the rest of season six as both comic relief and the year's unlikely "big bad" villains. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Evil goddess Glory (Clare Kramer) finally knows that The Key she needs to unleash hell on earth has been incarnated as the Slayer's very own sister. Thus, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her gang are forced to flee Sunnydale in a desperate attempt to save Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) -- and the world -- from the apocalypse. Unfortunately, their unlikely escape vehicle -- a Winnebago -- proves vulnerable to attack by the Knights of Byzantium, ancient warriors who have sworn to destroy The Key before Glory can use it. Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) suffers grievous wounds, forcing the gang to take refuge in an abandoned gas station. Resident Wiccan Willow (Alyson Hannigan) erects a mystical barrier, but, thanks to the relentless knights, a stalemate ensues. The misguided but honorable Byzantine leader allows Buffy to send for medical assistance. She calls Ben (Charlie Weber), the handsome young doctor she's been flirting with for several episodes. Unbeknownst to the Scoobies, Ben is the unwilling human host for Glory's earthly manifestation. Once inside the barrier, Ben patches Giles up but then loses his constant battle with Glory for control of their shared body. The triumphant hell-goddess makes off with Dawn and slaughters the Knights of Byzantium, leaving Buffy a catatonic shell of her normal self. Originally broadcast May 8, 2001, on the WB network, "Spiral" marked episode 98 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

As hell-god Glory (Clare Kramer) prepares for the precise moment when she can cut Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) open and unleash pan-dimensional Armageddon, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and the Scoobies prepare for the fight of their lives. Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) advocates killing Dawn if it will prevent the Apocalypse, arguing that she isn't even really Buffy's sister. But the Slayer vows to save both the world and Dawn, who was fashioned from Buffy's own flesh and blood as the human incarnation of the ancient key that Glory needs to open the doorway back to her own dimension. Meanwhile, facing certain death, Xander (Nicholas Brendon) proposes to girlfriend Anya (Emma Caulfield) even as enchantress Willow (Alyson Hannigan) comes up with a way restore the shattered mind of her own lover, Tara (Amber Benson). Spike (James Marsters) and Buffy gather up weapons and share a tender moment. Then it's time to let poor, mad Tara lead the way to the patchwork tower of steel girders that Glory's other brain-drained victims have constructed as the stage for their mistress' descent back to hell. Arriving on the scene, Willow casts her spell, draining Tara's mind from Glory and back into Tara. Glory thus befuddled, Buffy throws everything she's got at the hell-goddess: serious punches, a mystical troll's hammer, and even a robot decoy. By the time Xander weighs in with a wrecking ball, Glory's had it. She reverts to the form of her human host, Ben (Charlie Weber), whom Giles quietly smothers in order to end Glory's threat. But atop the tower, despite the best efforts of Spike, one of Glory's minions manages to spill Dawn's blood and begin the convergence of hell and earth. As an interdimensional vortex begins to grow, unleashing demons in its wake, Dawn prepares to leap into the void and put an end to the destruction. But her sister stops her, announcing the she finally knows what the spirit of the First Slayer meant when she told Buffy her greatest gift was death. Because Dawn and Buffy share the same blood, Buffy too can close the portal. Promising Dawn she'll always love her, Buffy plunges into the vortex, which short-circuits -- dropping the Slayer's corpse onto the ground below. Buffy's tombstone serves as a solemn reminder: "Buffy Anne Summers...1981-2001...She saved the world. A lot." Originally broadcast May 22, 2001, on the WB network, "The Gift" marked episode 100 of the cult-favorite series. It was also the last new episode to premiere on the WB; beginning with the season six opener, "Bargaining, Part 1," the program moved to the rival UPN network for two additional seasons. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

When love-sick vampire Spike (James Marsters) acquires a robot version of Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) to use as his sex toy, the resulting case of mistaken identity almost gives mad hell-god Glory (Clare Kramer) the key to interdimensional Armageddon. The problem begins when Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) takes Buffy on a vision quest into the desert. There, she communes with the spirit of the First Slayer (Sharon Ferguson) and learns, cryptically enough, that her greatest gift is death itself. Meanwhile, back in Sunnydale, various Scoobies spot Spike fighting alongside -- and canoodling with -- the Buffy-bot he recently obtained (see "I Was Made to Love You"). Fearing for the Slayer's virtue (and her sanity), her friends prepare to stage an intervention. Meanwhile, Glory's minions spot the Buffy-bot protecting Spike during a battle and jump to the conclusion that he must be The Key their mistress is seeking. They kidnap him and, when Glory realizes he isn't The Key, begin torturing him to find out who is. Meanwhile, Buffy arrives back at the Summers house and sets her friends straight about her sexual involvement, or lack thereof, with her neutered suitor. Learning from her robot doppleganger that Spike is in the big bad's clutches, Buffy rescues him to keep him from revealing that The Key is actually her sister, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg). Then, in order to find out how much information Spike may have revealed to Glory, Buffy poses as her robot self and cuddles up to him. Once her deception is revealed, the besotted vampire vows that he would never allow Buffy or Dawn to be harmed -- a promise that earns him a tender kiss from his unattainable beloved. Originally broadcast April 24, 2001, on the WB network, "Intervention" marked episode 96 of the cult-favorite series. Buffy would finally figure out the meaning of the First Slayer's message in "The Gift"; in doing so, she would set the stage for an eventual non-robotic romance with Spike. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide