Season Five is here and The Sunnydale Diaries is officially entering one of Sean's favorite eras of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

In this episode, we kick off Season 5, Episode 1: “Buffy vs. Dracula,” an episode that somehow manages to be campy, creepy, seductive, and quietly huge all at the same time.

From beach days and new opening credits to castles we’ve apparently never noticed before, this premiere brings us:

• 🧛‍♂️ Dracula himself — complete with capes, bats, wolves, and mind control

• 🖤 Buffy confronting the darkness and power inside herself

• 🐞 Xander fully embracing his Renfield era (yes,with bugs)

• 📚 Giles questioning his purpose (and finding it again)

• 🧠 Mind games, seduction, and Slayer autonomy

• 👀 And one of the biggest “WAIT, WHAT?” cliffhangers in the entire series

We talk about what Dracula represents in Buffy’s journey, how this episode reframes Slayer power after the Season 4 enjoining spell, and how a wolf got on top of the Espresso Pump. Plus: pink leather pants, castle logistics, Joyce inviting strangers inside, and whether “Cow me” should ever have been a line of dialogue.

And then — that ending.

No spoilers, but if you remember the first time you watched this episode, you already know why this moment permanently changes the trajectory of Season Five.

Find us everywhere as @TheSunnydaleDiaries, visit sunnydalediaries.com, or email us at thesunnydalediaries@gmail.com. Join us next as we continue Season Five with “Real Me.”