Our Buffy rewatch reaches the show’s fifth season, which acts as a turning point for the lives of the Slayer and her friends…

Synopsis: After calling on the essence of the Slayer in season four, Buffy Summers begins to question and explore what it means to be the Slayer – and what her future has in store. Meanwhile, her life is turned upside down when she suddenly finds she has a little sister, Dawn, and her mother suffers from a brain tumour. But the worst is yet to come in the form of Glory. She’s not a vampire, a demon, or like anything Buffy has faced before. She’s a god.

1. Buffy vs Dracula

The Prince of Darkness comes to Sunnydale to meet the Slayer in a strong season opener. Interesting set-up of Buffy exploring what it means to be a Slayer. And killer cliffhanger! 8.5/10

2. Real Me

Buffy has a sister, Dawn – but that’s no big deal, she’s been around forever. Very fun episode that gleefully keeps you guessing and completely changes the show. 8.5/10

3. The Replacement

Xander has a double – who seems to be better at living his life than he is! Good fun excuse to get Nicholas Brendan’s real-life twin on the show. Also a very cool-looking demon. 8/10

4. Out Of My Mind

A bit of a humdrum episode as a few ongoing plotlines begin: namely, Joyce’s illness and Riley’s withdrawal from Buffy. Plus, Spike has a Buffy-centric dream with a deeper meaning… 7.5/10

5. No Place Like Home

Some big revelations here which spur on this season’s story arc – Glory arrives and Buffy finds out the truth about her sister Dawn. The highlight, though, has to be Giles in a wizard hat. 8/10

6. Family

Tara’s nasty family rides into town and we learn the truth about whether she really is a demon or not. The final scene is heart-warming and a sign that Tara is now an official Scooby. 8.5/10