School Hard

Crashing his DeSoto Sportsman into the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign and proclaiming, "Home, sweet home," viewers meet the vampire named Spike (James Marsters), along with his equally sardonic vamp girlfriend, Drusilla (Juliet Landau) -- a fitting introduction for two vampires who will become among the show's most memorable and reliable villains. Apparently a vampire couple -- a first for the show -- these love bats have a history with Angel (David Boreanaz). The audience learns that Spike (aka "William the Bloody") is a 200-year-old vampire sired by Angel, who earned his name by killing his victims with railroad spikes. He is utterly devoted to "Dru," who is sickly, possibly insane, and subject to psychic visions. At a meeting of vampires with the Anointed One (Andrew J. Ferchland), Spike brags about having killed two slayers in his "life," and manages to slide in some of his soon to-be-characteristic humorous asides. Unable to contain himself until the Festival of St. Vigeous, Spike and some vampires attack Sunnydale High on Parent-Teacher Night; Buffy fights them off with some help from her mom, who repels Spike with an ax. In the aftermath, Principal Snyder (Armin Shimerman) discusses the need to hide the real story from the press -- a hint that he might know something about the supernatural occurrences in Sunnydale.