welcome to the hellmouth!

Just as Buffy tries to return to her normal life of going to school, hanging out with friends and saving the world, she is faced with the arrival of an ancient, cloven-hoofed villain and his blood-sucking sidekick, Mr. Trick. Another new Sunnydale arrival, Faith, helps Buffy in her battle against the unspeakable demons and ingratiates herself into every aspect of Buffy's life.

Trying to escape who she is, Buffy finds herself in a city far from home where she is forced to once again face her destiny to battle a demonic force threatening inner-city kids living on the streets. Back in Sunnydale at the onset of senior year, Willow, Xander, Cordelia and Oz try to keep the vampire population in check without getting themselves killed, while Giles searches for leads on Buffy's whereabouts.

The suspense continues as hell prepares to swallow the world and Buffy is left alone to stop it. With Giles in the hands of the enemy and Angel primed for destruction, our slayer is forced into some treacherous alliances and faced with life-changing decisions.

When a monster starts preying on members of the high school swim team, Buffy takes it upon herself to become the protector of the star players. Meanwhile, Xander goes undercover to discover the truth about the missing teammates and ends up revealing a rarely seen side of himself.

Buffy is admitted to the hospital with a raging fever where she encounters a young child who brings with him nightmares of Buffy's past and present. Meanwhile, a jealous Cordelia looks on as Xander protects a weakened Buffy from Angel's fury

When Cordelia succumbs to peer pressure and breaks off her tryst with Xander, on Valentine's Day, he convinces a witch to put a spell on Cordelia which will make her fall in love with him. But when the spell backfires, the women in Sunnydale, except Cordelia, and including Buffy and Drusilla begin to see Xander in a whole new light.

After Buffy shares an intimate moment with Angel which extinguishes his human soul, she is left with the realization that she must destroy the now-evil Angel who has transformed into his previous persona of Angelus. Meanwhile, Giles' relationship with Jenny Calendar takes on a new twist when he discovers that she is a member of the gypsy family who gave Angel his human soul, and Willow's hopes of a relationship with Xander are dashed when she discovers Xander and Cordelia's secret romance.

Buffy and the gang are introduced to parenting through a school assignment that takes a very rotten turn. Meanwhile, two wild west vampires come to town hunting for Buffy. At the same time, romance is in the air when Buffy and Angel continue to rendenzvous and Xander and Cordelia keep their liaison in the closet.

In this conclusion of a two-part episode, Buffy reluctantly confronts Kendra the new vampire slayer, only to find that the two are polar opposites in every way. Much to Buffy's chagrin, she must join forces with Kendra to save the man who means the most to her — Angel. Meanwhile, with Buffy on the hunt, Xander and Cordelia are left to wait at Buffy's home where they have a close encounter of their own kind.

Giles' quiet existence in Sunnydale is jeopardized when a murder victim, who is found to be linked to Giles' past, is discovered on the steps of the school library. Meanwhile, when the Mark of Eyghon — a demon that takes possession of a dead host — takes over Ms. Calendar, Buffy and Angel discover the one way to save her soul.