Here is every crossover between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Joss Whedon’s magnum opus starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as the titular slayer and ran from 1997-2003. The popular series even spawned a spin-off centering on Buffy’s former beau, Angel (David Boreanaz), the vampire with a soul seeking redemption for his past sins. While Buffy the Vampire Slayer lasted seven seasons and ended on its own terms, Angel was unceremoniously canceled before season 5 had even concluded.
Beginning with Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4, Angel aired immediately after its parent show on The WB for two years. However, after Buffy’s death at the end of season 5, the show switched networks, landing on UPN for its remaining two seasons. Buffy and Angel formed an interconnected Buffyverse from the beginning, with frequent crossovers occurring between the two series. However, once the shows began airing on different channels and separate nights, these events were few and far between. The networks did loosen their restrictions for Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s final season, but the timeline between the two shows by that point was definitely a bit off.
Although Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel can certainly be enjoyed separately, they tell a far more complete story when viewed simultaneously. Aside from the fact that certain Buffy characters became far more developed on Angel, there are several plot points that carried over from one show to the other. While some of these were more minor developments, others served as major storylines.
The Harsh Light of Day/In the Dark
Spike returned to Sunnydale in season 4, episode 3, “The Harsh Light of Day”. After gaining possession of the Gem of Amara, a ring that would render its wearer invulnerable, the vampire went toe to toe with Buffy. She soundly defeated him, choosing to pass the ring along to Angel. Oz, who had a gig in L.A., agreed to deliver it. Spike followed Oz straight to Angel in season 1, episode 3, “In the Dark”. As usual, Spike’s plan went up in flames and—despite his attempts to torture the gem’s location out of Angel—the vampire with a soul wound up with the prize in the end. However, Angel destroyed the ring, feeling it offered a path to redemption that was all too easy, and that its use would cause him to abandon those in need of his help after dark.
The Bachelor Party/Pangs
Although Angel season 1, episode 7 largely has nothing to do with anything happening over on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it does technically begin this crossover. At episode’s end, Doyle had a vision of Buffy fighting for her life. So, Angel headed to Sunnydale in season 4, episode 8, "Pangs". As is his way, the vampire stuck to the shadows, though he inexplicably kept his involvement secret from Buffy. Angel did help the Scoobies save the day, and would’ve left with his ex none the wiser, had Xander not inadvertently let his appearance slip during Thanksgiving dinner.
I Will Remember You
Taking place right after “Pangs”, Angel season 1, episode 8, “I Will Remember You”, began with an understandably upset Buffy heading to L.A. to confront Angel about his Thanksgiving visit. The talk didn’t go particularly well, but an encounter with a Mohra demon changed everything by transforming Angel into a human. This led to an extremely romantic kiss in broad daylight, followed by the long-awaited reunion between Buffy and Angel. As these are Joss Whedon shows, misery had to strike. Angel soon realized their happiness came at the cost of innocent lives, possibly even Buffy's. He convinced The Oracles to turn back time, allowing him to kill the demon before its blood could mix with his own. In a gut-wrenching twist, while Buffy would forget, Angel alone would remember the brief time they spent together to ensure he wouldn’t repeat the day’s events. Their final embrace before her memories are swallowed up is one of the Buffyverse’s more heartbreaking moments.
Who Are You?/Five by Five
Fans knew that Faith (Eliza Dushku) would one day awaken from her coma, which she did in Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4, episode 15, “This Year’s Girl”. However, this crossover really began with the following installment, “Who Are You?” Thanks to a posthumous helping hand from Mayor Wilkins, Faith was able to switch bodies with Buffy. This not only caused Buffy to wind up in the clutches of angry operatives from the Watchers Council, but also enabled Faith to wreak major havoc on Buffy’s life. She even slept with Buffy's boyfriend, Riley, without him being any the wiser. Buffy managed to escape the Council and reverse the body swap, but Faith escaped.
In Angel season 1, episode 18, “Five by Five”, it’s revealed that Faith went to L.A., where Wolfram & Hart enlisted her to kill Angel. After she kidnapped and tortured Wesley, Faith and Angel engaged in a brutal battle, in which her true intentions were revealed. As the realization dawned that she wanted Angel to end her life, Faith unexpectedly broke down in his arms.
Sanctuary/The Yoko Factor
If there’s one thing Angel understands, it’s the battle for one’s soul, and he wasn’t going to let something petty like Faith’s attempt on his life get in the way of him saving hers. Despite Faith’s unrelenting torture of Wesley, that was Angel’s aim in season 1, episode 19, “Sanctuary”. Matters became more complicated when both Buffy and the Watchers Council showed up looking for Faith. Buffy and Angel had an ugly fight over Faith’s fate and Wesley proved his loyalty by betraying the Council, rather than Angel. The end result was Faith turning herself in to the police of her own volition. Angel wouldn’t forget about Faith, with the vampire later going to visit her in the season 2 premiere.
Although Faith wound up in jail, Buffy and Angel were still pretty angry with one another and they did not end their visit on good terms, to say the least. Angel showed up in Sunnydale in season 4, episode 20, “The Yoko Factor”. He and Buffy's new boyfriend Riley got along about as well as expected, but the former couple did manage to sort things out between them before Angel headed back to L.A. However, this episode effectively severed ties between the characters for a while, and Gellar would never again have a proper appearance on Angel.
Fool for Love/Darla
The seventh episodes of Buffy season 5 and Angel season 2 showed events from two very different perspectives. Spike recounted his history to Buffy, who was shaken after nearly being killed by an ordinary vampire. Ever the unreliable narrator, he explained his transformation at the hands of Drusilla, as well as his brutal slaying of Buffy's predecessors. Just as “Fool for Love” served as an origin story for Spike, “Darla” revealed the backstory of Angel’s sire. After being staked by Angel in season 1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Darla had been resurrected by Wolfram & Hart in Angel's season 1 finale.
Season 2 revealed the villainous law firm had brought her back as a human. "Darla" greatly expanded on the character, who was sired by the Master, and followed her relationship with Angel from the time she made him up until the couples’ contentious end. The real crossover was the events of the Boxer Rebellion. Through Spike’s eyes, Angelus didn't quite seem like himself, but Darla’s perspective revealed the vampire had already been cursed with a soul and was horrified by the events unfolding around him. Needless to say, Spike had much fonder memories of the time period than Darla.
The Trial/Reunion/Redefinition/Crush
This crossover very technically begins with Angel season 2, episode 9, “The Trial”, as Angel fought to save the life of an ailing Darla. He succeeded in his task, but things didn't work out as intended. So, Wolfram & Hart brought in Drusilla (in her first present tense appearance on the show) to make Darla a vampire once more. The following episode saw the two women terrorizing Los Angeles and proved that Angel had a breaking point, as he let them go to town on a wine cellar full of Wolfram & Hart employees. He then proceeded to fire his entire team, who would never accept what he'd done.
The vampire with a soul was in a dark place by season 2, episode 11, "Redefinition". He set his sights on taking down Darla and Dru, and by episode’s end had literally set them on fire. A wounded Drusilla returned to Sunnydale in Buffy season 5, episode 14, “Crush”, hoping to reunite with Spike. Of course, things had changed: Spike had a chip in his head and also was madly in love with Buffy. This installment was the final nail in the coffin for fans still shipping Spike and Dru, as Spike chose Buffy’s life in the end, not that it made a difference to the slayer, who was understandably disgusted by the entire situation. This served as the last major crossover event until Buffy's final season.
Salvage/Release/Orpheus
This crossover technically begins with Angel season 4, episode 13, “Salvage”, in which Faith was attacked in prison by a woman wielding the same type of knife being used by the Bringers to kill potential slayers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She survived, but Wesley convinced her to break out and help him capture Angelus, who was brought forth on purpose for complicated and somewhat ridiculous reasons. Faith would be the only person who truly understood why the mission needed to be capture rather than kill. After a vicious battle in "Release" that left the slayer in a drug-induced coma, Angelus was put back in his cage. However, his soul, which was ostensibly being safely stored, had gone missing.
If Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 7, episode 17, “Lies My Parents Told Me” had aired before Angel season 4, episode 15, “Orpheus”, it would make more sense chronologically. The only real crossover moment was Andrew answering a call from someone named Fred, who was looking for Willow. Angel fans would recognize this as Amy Acker’s character calling the one living person who had re-ensouled Angelus previously. Willow headed to L.A.; seeing Alyson Hannigan interact onscreen with her real-life husband, Alexis Denisof, was a highlight of the episode. After some struggle, Willow saved Angel and then brought Faith back to Sunnydale to help the Scoobies fight The First.
Home/End of Days/Chosen
Angel’s season 4 finale has mere moments devoted to this crossover, but the show’s contribution was pivotal to Buffy’s series finale. An expired Lila Morgan gave Angel an amulet because Wolfram & Hart had their own apocalypse planned. Angel showed up in Sunnydale at the end of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s penultimate episode, “End of Days”. His brief, but memorable appearance continued in “Chosen”, in which he gave Buffy the amulet, discovered her relationship with Spike, and got the now-famous "cookie dough" speech. Buffy gave Spike the amulet, which wound up being the very thing that enabled the Scooby Gang to defeat The First. Spike sacrificed himself in the process, but oddly, The WB had already chosen to announce that Marsters would be heading over to Angel for season 5, which somewhat lessened the impact.
More Minor Crossovers Between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
Freshman/City Of
The first crossover between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel was this slight nod to their shared universe. Buffy received a phone call in the season 4 premiere. The caller hung up, but Angel's pilot revealed the call came from the vampire with a soul, who was clearly missing his ex.
Parting Gifts
After Doyle’s heroic sacrifice in the preceding installment, Angel season 1, episode 10, “Parting Gifts”, reintroduced a familiar face from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A “rogue demon hunter” was working the same case as Angel Investigations, and it happened to be Faith’s former watcher, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. He would go on to become an integral part of Team Angel, as well as a fan-favorite character.
Blind Date
The penultimate episode of Angel’s first season featured a very minor crossover. Cordelia called Willow for help hacking some files. Although Willow explained the Scoobies were busy working on encrypted files as well (assumedly Adam’s), this doesn’t actually make sense in terms of both shows’ timelines. The call is only shown from Cordy's perspective.
Blood Money
Angel season 2, episode 12 is a crossover in that it reintroduced Julia Lee’s character, who first showed up as Chantarelle in season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She returned in season 3, going by Lily and by episode’s end had taken on Buffy’s persona as “Anne”. “Blood Money” revealed she not only kept Buffy’s middle name as her own but had also chosen to help homeless teens. Anne would go on to appear later in the season, as well as in the series finale.
Forever
After Joyce’s tragic death, Angel went to Sunnydale to comfort Buffy in season 5, episode 17.
Disharmony
Thanks to yet another disappointment from Spike in “Crush”, Harmony headed to L.A. in season 2, episode 17, “Disharmony” to catch up with her old pal Cordelia, who still had no idea she was a vampire. This episode also features a hilarious phone call between Cordy and Willow.
There’s No Place Like Plrtz Glrb
Willow showed up in Angel’s season 2 finale to let Angel know that Buffy had died.
Carpe Noctem/Flooded
Angel learned of Buffy’s resurrection and gave her a call. What could've been a major crossover was sadly relegated to an offscreen reunion thanks to the shows being on different networks. This happened in the fourth installments of Angel season 3 and Buffy season 6.
Life Serial/Fredless
Both Angel and Buffy returned to their respective shows the following episode without discussing anything that had happened when they saw each other. The characters pointed to privacy as the reason, but it was, of course, due to network restrictions. Since when had anything ever been private between those two characters?
Conviction
Although Buffy the Vampire Slayer had ended by the time Angel season 5 premiered, the events from the series finale were still rippling across the spin-off. Thanks to the amulet, Spike was resurrected (initially as an incorporeal being) at the end of “Conviction”. He would go on to fight alongside the rest of our heroes until the series finale. Harmony was hired as Angel’s secretary at Wolfram & Hart, which Team Angel had taken over in the season 4 finale, in a rather brilliant paradigm shift for the series.
Damage
After the events of “Chosen” left the world full of slayers, there were bound to be a whole new set of problems. Season 5, episode 11, focused on one of the newly turned slayers named Dana. Having spent years in a mental institution, Dana wasn’t well equipped to handle her newly discovered powers. Andrew showed up at Buffy’s behest in order to get her the help she needed, but it made for a very awkward exchange with Team Angel, who was apparently no longer trusted by the slayer.
The Girl in Question
Perhaps the most frustrating episode of Angel, season 5, episode 20 showed Angel and Spike on a wild goose chase looking for Buffy. However, instead of a guest appearance from Gellar, all fans got was a brief interaction between the vampires and Andrew.